36-year-old Uthappa on Dhoni conundrum; 'Today, very hard for me to call him Mahi Bhai'

Robin Uthappa has revealed that he found it difficult to call MS Dhoni "Mahi Bhai" when he joined the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last year. When Uthappa met Dhoni at CSK's training camp ahead of IPL 2021, he asked the keeper-batsman how he should refer to him because he found it difficult to call him "Mahi Bhai," according to Uthappa, who recently appeared on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel. Uthappa, while describing Dhoni's simplicity, said that the former India captain told him that he could call him by any name he pleased.

'That's how simple he is'

Uthappa said he felt the need to ask Dhoni, his close friend, the question as he was playing with him in the same team after a gap of 12-13 years. Uthappa revealed that when he joined CSK last year, he saw everyone referring to Dhoni as "Mahi Bhai". The 36-year-old said he had been calling Dhoni 'MS' or 'Mahi' all these years and seeing everyone referring to him as Mahi Bhai led him to ask the question. Uthappa said Dhoni then told him to call him by any name he wanted, adding "That's how simple he is."

"Today, it is very hard for me to call him Mahi Bhai because when I got to know him, he was Mahi or MS. I played with him after 10-12 years or 13 years. After 2008, when I got dropped from the Indian team... I am playing with him in the same team as after 12-13 years. So, I asked him, 'What should I call you, dude? Like, I don't know.' 'Should I call you Mahi Bhai? Because everyone around me is calling you Mahi Bhai'. He was like, 'Call me MS, man. Or call me Mahi or call me however you want.' That's how simple he is," Uthappa said in the video. 

Uthappa joins CSK

Uthappa joined Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2021 after being traded to the side by Rajasthan Royals. He played some magnificent cricket for his new franchise in the knockout stage of the IPL and helped them march towards yet another final. Uthappa scored a quickfire 31 off 15 balls in the final of the tournament, helping his team win a record fourth IPL title. He was bought by CSK for his base price of Rs. 2 crores in the IPL 2022 mega auction. Uthappa has so far scored a half-century, 28, and 13 runs for CSK, but all in a losing cause. 

Image: Instagram/@robinaiyudauthappa