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S Sreesanth shared a humorous story about MS Dhoni, recalling Dhoni joking about girlfriends at each venue and praising Dhoni’s belief in his potential.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni playing for India (PTI)
Former India pacer S Sreesanth recently recounted a lighthearted story about the legendary wicketkeeper-batter Mahendra Singh Dhoni from their playing days, showcasing the camaraderie and humour within the Indian cricket team.
Sreesanth recalled an incident where Dhoni humorously shouted at him during a match.
According to Sreesanth, Dhoni often joked that he would seek a girlfriend at each venue they played. “There were so many girlfriends in those days that he thought I would catch a girlfriend from every ground,” Sreesanth was quoted as saying on Padamjeet Sehrawat’s YouTube channel.
Beyond the jokes, Sreesanth also reflected on Dhoni’s belief in his abilities. He remembered Dhoni once telling him that he had the potential to achieve great success in his career, but admitted he didn’t fully realise his own capabilities back then. “The one captain, the one friend who made me understand that my potential could have taken me high, but you could not understand your own potential,” Sreesanth said, acknowledging Dhoni’s mentorship.
Sreesanth, a key part of India’s T20 World Cup 2007 and ODI World Cup 2011 wins under Dhoni, also revisited one of his most iconic on-field moments — his fiery celebration after dismissing Matthew Hayden in the T20 World Cup 2007 semi-final against Australia. With Australia chasing 189, Sreesanth clean bowled the dangerous opener, sending his stump cartwheeling. He then slapped the pitch three times, mimicking a wrestling referee counting down a pinfall.
“Many people do not know why I did that celebration. Matthew Hayden was a big guy, and I had clean bowled him. That is why that celebration was straight out of wrestling, where the referee hits the floor thrice before declaring you out,” Sreesanth explained on JioHotstar’s ‘Cheeky Singles’.
How Only Dhoni Could Control Sreesanth?
Former India teammate Robin Uthappa also recalled how Dhoni was one of the few who could truly manage Sreesanth’s fiery personality. In a match against Australia in Hyderabad, Sreesanth theatrically appealed for a run-out at the non-striker’s end. Dhoni immediately rushed down the pitch, pulled him away, and said,
“It was just after the World Cup, and we were playing Australia in Hyderabad. And I think it was either Andrew Symonds who had backed up. And then Sree (Sreesanth) stopped, took the stumps off and goes ‘How is that? How is that?’ So MS came running from there, pulled him and said ‘just go bowl bro’,” Uthappa was quoted as saying on the YouTube show ‘Wake Up With Sorabh’.
“Someone who actually handled him really well was MS,” Uthappa added.
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha… Read More
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