Mohit Sharma, who is playing for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025 at the moment, recently posted a hilarious throwback from his days with Chennai Super Kings where MS Dhoni and a tennis great were involved.
Mohit made 57 wickets from 47 IPL matches for CSK in his first time from 2013 to 2016. It was during this period that Dhoni gave him a very unexpected nickname: Maria Sharapova.
Why? It wasn’t about looks or tennis skills—but grunting.
Mohit revealed in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that his habit of grunting loudly while bowling reminded Dhoni of the Russian tennis star, known for her intense match-day noises.
“Mahi bhai used to say, ‘You grunt like some of the tennis players.’ I told him, ‘That grunt makes batters think the ball is coming at 145-150kph, even if it’s slower. It works in my favor,’” Mohit explained.
Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner, was known as much for her game as for those loud on-court grunts. Looks like Dhoni spotted the similarity right away.
Mohit also spoke about how recent rule changes have made life a bit easier for bowlers this IPL season.
The BCCI has brought back saliva use to shine the ball—something that was banned during the pandemic—and introduced a new “second ball” rule. Now, teams can swap in a used ball after the 10th over of the second innings to offset dew conditions in night matches.
“Absolutely, it helps,” Mohit said. “In our last match, the ball was already wet by the 12th over. Then dew hit hard. When Karn bowled in the 13th or 14th, the ball spun, but the dew was a big factor. A harder ball makes a slight difference. But by the 15th or 16th over, it becomes the same story.”
At 36, Mohit is still holding his own, adapting to the game’s shifts while keeping his sense of humor intact—grunts and all.
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