MS Dhoni is known for giving quirky nicknames to his teammates—many of which stick around for good. For instance, he famously dubbed Ravindra Jadeja as “Sir Jadeja,” a name that has become widely popular. Recently, Mohit Sharma revealed that Dhoni nicknamed him “Maria Sharapova.” Curious about the story behind this unusual moniker? Here’s what happened.
MS Dhoni calls Mohit Sharma “Maria Sharapova”
Dhoni gave the medium pacer this nickname because his loud grunt while bowling reminded him of a tennis player.
“Mahi bhai nicknamed me Maria Sharapova. He used to say: ‘You grunt as loud as some of the tennis players.’”
“With the grunt, batsmen will feel the ball will come at 145-150kph even though the ball comes slower, so it is a plus point for me,” Mohit Sharma said to ESPNcricinfo.
Mohit Sharma reveals the nickname given to him by MS Dhoni because of his grunting
pic.twitter.com/iZsucf2s2N
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 15, 2025
Mohit Sharma in IPL 2025
Mohit Sharma was bought by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025. He has played five matches and taken two wickets. He has an ecomony of 9.60.
| Year | Mat | Balls | Runs | WKTS | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W |
| Career | 122 | 2433 | 3544 | 136 | 5/10 | 26.06 | 8.74 | 17.89 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 90 | 144 | 2 | 1/10 | 72 | 9.6 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 | 90 | 144 | 2 | 1/10 | 72 | 9.6 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 12 | 234 | 425 | 13 | 3/25 | 32.69 | 10.9 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 14 | 265 | 361 | 27 | 5/10 | 13.37 | 8.17 | 9.81 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 24 | 45 | 1 | 1/45 | 45 | 11.25 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 18 | 27 | 1 | 1/27 | 27 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 9 | 178 | 322 | 7 | 2/33 | 46 | 10.85 | 25.42 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 274 | 410 | 13 | 2/24 | 31.53 | 8.97 | 21.07 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 14 | 291 | 407 | 13 | 3/23 | 31.3 | 8.39 | 22.38 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 16 | 342 | 481 | 14 | 3/25 | 34.35 | 8.43 | 24.42 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 16 | 323 | 452 | 23 | 4/14 | 19.65 | 8.39 | 14.04 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 15 | 304 | 326 | 20 | 3/10 | 16.3 | 6.43 | 15.2 | 0 | 0 |
The post Why does MS Dhoni call Mohit Sharma, ‘Maria Sharapova’? appeared first on Inside Sport India.