I am the same person, nothing has changed: When MS Dhoni asked Robin Uthappa to call him Mahi and not Mahi Bhai

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni remains to be one of the most respected cricketers in world cricket. Despite announcing his retirement from international cricket, Dhoni remains to be an idol for aspiring cricketers across the globe. Senior Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa recalled an incident where Dhoni showed his humble side.

Uthappa, who was roped in by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from Rajasthan Royals (RR), has played a fair amount of cricket with Dhoni and was also a part of the Team India squad that won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 under Dhoni's captaincy.

After joining the CSK squad, Uthappa recalled how he noticed everybody was referring to MS Dhoni as either 'Mahi Bhai' or 'Mahi Sir' and he went to the CSK captain to ask what should he call him as he had known him for a very long time. Uthappa used to refer to Dhoni as Mahi.

"When I was selected for CSK, I was playing with Mahi after 13-14 years. When I went to the team, everybody was referring to him as Mahi Bhai or Mahi Sir. I got a bit confused. One day, I went to him and asked whether I should call him Mahi or Mahi Bhai. He told me not to complicate things and call me whatever I want to. He told me that he was the same person and that nothing had changed. I was the only person in the team who was calling him Mahi," Uthappa said while engaging with his fans in ShareChat’s Audio Chatroom session - 'CricChat Powered by Parimatch’.

Uthappa went on to add that the bond between the two cricketers goes way beyond the 22 yards.

"Our relationship is like that. It's not just related to cricket. We have played cricket together, but we share a lot of love off the field as well. When Trinity was born, I sent her pic to Mahi and he said, "she looks like you." Ours is a relationship that goes beyond cricket. Today also, we sit together and chill, like we used to 13-14 years ago," he added.