‘He can go back to India’ – Ravichandran Ashwin recalls MS Dhoni losing his cool over Sreesanth’s antics

Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known to keep his calm and cool composure on the field. There have been times though when he has lost his cool visibly on the field. One of them was towards former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth during an Indian tour of South Africa in late 2010. 

Ravichandran Ashwin, who was part of that tour recalled an incident in his autobiography – I have the Secrets – A Kutty Cricket Story. The incident in question happened in Port Elizabeth where the Indian star was amongst the reserve players. 

Recalling the incident, Ashwin had written, “I take water. MS drinks. Two overs later, I take more. He drinks more. Then again. I have carried more water for MS than anyone else. When I go in for the drink break, MS asks, ‘Where is Sree?’

The Indian spinner went on to write, “It is possibly the most neutral way of asking a question. It is also the MS way. You just can’t make out why he is asking. I don’t know what to tell him because I don’t know what it might lead to. MS insists on finding out. 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.”

MS Dhoni wanted to send Sreesanth back home for disobedience 

Sreesanth has always been the heart of controversy during his time as a player. MS Dhoni once was heard shouting at Sreesanth who was fielding at the boundary to focus on the game more. 

Ashwin writing in his autobiography also stated, “Anyway, on the way back from the drinks break, I am wondering how, while keeping wicket in an international match, MS even noticed that Sree was not sitting downstairs. I go back and tell M. Vijay, who is in his cooling glasses with his feet up on another chair, ‘Hey, Monk, MS asked Sree to come down. Monk tells me, ‘Hey, you go and tell him. Don’t expect me to do that.”

That’s when Ashwin decided to go relay the message to Sreesanth and wrote, “…I go into the changing room and I tell him, ‘Sree, MS wants you to come down.’ ‘Why? You can’t carry water?’ I tell him I didn’t say anything. He said he wants you to come down. He said the reserves should be together for the game. Sree says, ‘Okay, you go. I will come.”

Despite the warning, Sreesanth didn’t come down to fulfil his reserve duties and when MS Dhoni lost his cool. “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.” To which Ashwin replied that Sreesanth was enjoying a massage and MS Dhoni further saw red. 

MS Dhoni said to Ashwin, “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. 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?"

Ashwin finally wrote that the warning did the intended work when he penned down, “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. Instead of taking the drink from him, MS motions for me to come over. ‘Did you tell Ranjib sir or not?’ he asks me. MS and Sree sort it out later, but during that period I am caught in a situation in which I would ideally be laughing but am too scared to do so.”