MS Dhoni, usually known for his calm demeanour, lost his cool at Sreesanth during a tour in 2010; Ashwin tells the full tale in his autobiography.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, famously known as ‘Captain Cool’ for his composed demeanour on the field, led the Indian cricket team with remarkable poise and strategy. During his tenure as captain, Dhoni managed a squad that included senior legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Virender Sehwag, alongside emerging talents like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Under his astute leadership, India achieved unprecedented success, securing all three major titles in the limited-overs format and winning the prestigious ICC Test Mace. Dhoni remains the only Indian captain to have accomplished these extraordinary feats.
There were times, however, when even the ‘Captain Cool’ lost his calm. In recent times, it happened during the IPL, when Dhoni would react angrily over poor fielding efforts or a loose delivery from a bowler. However, India’s star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has now revealed a 2010 incident, when Dhoni got so angry he decided to send Sreesanth back to India mid-way through the tour in South Africa.
The reason? Sreesanth repeatedly ignored the then-India captain’s calls to sit in the dugout with other reserves for a massage in the dressing room. This happened during a limited-overs match in Port Elizabeth (now known as Gqeberha); Ashwin, also a reserve player in the match, recalled he carried endless bottles of water to Dhoni, who at one point asked him where Sreesanth was.
“I tell him Sree is upstairs in the dressing room. He tells me to tell Sree he has to come down and sit with the other reserves,” Ashwin wrote in an 184-page book titled ‘I Have The Streets- A Kutty Cricket Story’ , co-authored by senior journalist Sidharth Monga.
Ashwin recounts how he went to the changing room to relay Dhoni’s message to Sreesanth, who, however, stayed in the dressing room upstairs.
“I return to my drink duties. The next time I have to go with a helmet. This time I can sense MS is angry, and I have never seen him lose his cool. ‘Where is Sree? What is he doing?’ MS asks sternly.”
“I tell him he is getting a massage. MS doesn’t say anything. In the next over, he calls me to return the helmet. He is calm now. While giving me the helmet, he says, ‘Do one thing. Go to Ranjib sir. Tell him Sree is not interested in being here. Ask him to book his ticket for tomorrow so he can go back to India.”
Ashwin recalled he was shocked by Dhoni’s remark, and how Sreesanth sprinted down as soon as he heard the message.
“I am stunned. I’m not sure what to say. I am just staring at his face. MS goes, ‘What happened? You don’t understand English either now?’
“Sree quickly gets up and gets dressed. Not only that, but now he assumes the drinks duties. The next time MS needs a drink, Sree makes sure he charges out”, wrote Ashwin.
Ashwin and Sreesanth’s careers
Sreesanth was an integral part of the side across formats at the time; both Ashwin and Sreesanth were also members of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad. Ashwin would go on to become India’s leading off-spinner in Test cricket, becoming the only second bowler from the country to breach the 500-wicket mark in the format.
Sreesanth’s career, however, came to an abrupt halt following spot-fixing allegations during IPL 2013. Despite making a comeback to domestic cricket after his ban was lifted in 2019, he struggled to deliver consistent performances that could warrant a return to the national team, as well as the IPL.
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