When MS Dhoni Decided To Send S Sreesanth Home Mid-Series: R Ashwin Shares Unheard Tale

An irate Mahendra Singh Dhoni deciding to send erstwhile enfant terrible S Sreesanth back home in the middle of a match, his 'Mankading' debut as a teenager and W.V. Raman's efforts into making him a potent off-spinner are some of the eminently readable stories in Ravichandran Ashwin's autobiography. The 184-page book titled 'I Have The Streets- A Kutty Cricket Story' is co-authored by senior journalist Sidharth Monga and published by Penguin Random House. It covers Ashwin's journey from his formative years till India's epic World Cup win in 2011.

There aren't any sob stories or over-dramatization in the book but a lot of funny anecdotes besides an occasional deep dive into an experimental mind, which always wants to try something out of the box. Easily the most compelling read was how an angry Dhoni, in the midst of a limited overs game against South Africa in Port Elizabeth (now known as Gqeberha) in 2010, had instructed Ashwin to tell team manager Ranjib Biswal to book S Sreesanth on the next available flight back home.

Reason: Sreesanth repeatedly ignored skipper's calls to sit in the dug-out with other reserves for a massage in the dressing room. "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?' Ashwin narrates.

"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." "Anyway, on