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In a hilarious exchange, Ravindra Jadeja reveals it was MS Dhoni who gave him the title of ‘Sir’ but he doesn’t like it.
Ravindra Jadeja (left) and Ravichandran Ashwin having a chat during a Test match in Delhi. (BCCI Photo)
In April of 2013, MS Dhoni posted a series of jokes on X (formerly Twitter) mentioning his India and CSK teammate Ravindra Jadeja. Interestingly, Jadeja’s name was preceded by the sobriquet of ‘Sir’, and it went viral. Nearly twelve years after being honoured with the ‘title’, Jadeja has opened up on how it came to be about, and the role legendary captain Dhoni played in popularising it.
In a podcast with legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja spills the beans on why he hates the title.
Interestingly, it was Ashwin who prodded his former teammate into opening up after recalling an incident from the Delhi Test of 2013 against Australia when he ‘innocently’ joined in on the growing trend of referring Jadeja to as ‘sir’.
“We were playing a match against Australia in Delhi; it was your first full series in 2013. You were bowling, and I was fielding at covers. I said, ‘Come on, Sir!’ and you asked me not to do that and used an expletive. Tell me, who gave you this sobriquet of Sir Jadeja, and why did you get angry?” Ashwin said.
Sir jadeja doesn’t run to take the catch but the ball finds him and lands on his hand— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) April 9, 2013
Jadeja then recalled an incident when his query was met with a sarcastic response from Dhoni that preceded the two-time world cup winning captain’s tweets.
“This name (Sir) was given to me by Mahi bhai,” Jadeja replied. “He had tweeted these three or four times back then. It went viral and became famous. I think it was raining once, and I asked Mahi bhai if we still had to go for practice – it was in Chandigarh, probably an IPL game or a Test match. So, he hilariously replied that no, we will call the ground to you.”
Ashwin then asked him the reason behind firing expletives at his direction. “But why did you abuse me for calling you Sir? The world was calling you by this name, the crowd too. I am your teammate and innocently called you sir.”
Jadeja, with a sheepish smile, then admitted he feels that whenever he’s addressed as ‘sir’, he feels that people are making fun of him.
“If anyone calls me Sir, I feel he’s pulling my leg. It’s in my head now. The name has stuck, but it’s good that you can tell people through this podcast,” he said.
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