Cricket is a widely followed sport across the planet. With the growth of T20 cricket, many new nations have tried their luck in this sport. The fans get to witness new teams at the international level. Recently, teams from Japan and Thailand also qualified for the ICC events. Papua New Guinea is also developing as a future cricket powerhouse.
Since cricket is a team sport, there could be a bad or a good relation between the players. There have been many rumours doing rounds every time that a certain player dislikes another guy. Or else, some cricketers have set examples of how friends should be on and off the field.
In any scenario, there are bound to be nicknames when 15-20 people stay together and play for a common purpose. The atmosphere needs to be friendly and light. In this article, we will have a look at some funny nicknames of cricketers and the reasons behind them.
Virat Kohli – Cheeku
Starting with the Indian cricket team stalwart first, Virat Kohli is popularly known as King Kohli. The reason behind it is his enormous success in all formats of the game. The fans have accepted him as the king of cricket.
However, MS Dhoni made his second and funnier nickname Cheeku much popular by calling him Cheeku from behind the stumps. Later, Kohli disclosed that he had got that nickname during his early cricketing days only from the Cheeku rabbit of Champak comics.
Glenn McGrath – Pigeon
Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath will go down as one of the greatest pace bowlers to have played the game. McGrath always focused on his line and length. He was not that ruthless fast bowler who would trouble the opposition with his bouncers or 150 kmph balls.
McGrath always kept it simple when it came to bowling. However, his teammates did not choose that path while nicknaming him as Pigeon. The reason behind McGrath behind calling Pigeon was his extremely thin body physique.
Anil Kumble – Jumbo
Anil Kumble will always be remembered as the greatest leg-spinner to have played for India at the international level. He was the first bowler to take 10 wickets in a single Test innings. Kumble achieved that feat against Pakistan.
He also grabbed everyone’s attention after playing with a broken jaw. Kumble was nicknamed Jumbo by his teammates. Generally, Jumbo is referred to someone who is big in his size, but Kumble got this name owing to the massive bounce he generated from the wicket.
Herschelle Gibbs – Scooter
Former South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs had made history by smacking six sixes off an over in a World Cup match against the Netherlands. Gibbs achieved this feat in the year 2007 when the West Indies hosted the ICC World Cup for the first time.
Gibbs later penned a controversial autobiography titled To The Point. The top-order batsman disclosed – “When I was 16 and couldn’t drive a car, the guys at Western Province joked that they would buy me a scooter.” Thus, those guys were the reason why Gibbs was nicknamed as Scooter in his career.
Sourav Ganguly – Dadi
Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has played a significant role in transforming Indian cricket. He first led the Indian team and transformed them into world beaters. India could beat any country under Ganguly’s captaincy.
Since he was from Bengal, Ganguly was fondly called ‘Dada’. Later the word ‘Dadagiri’ also became the famous dada meant grandfather in Hindi. Ganguly’s teammates funnily and affectionately referred to him as Dadi. The word Dadi means grandmother in Hindi. Thus, through this way, the BCCI President got the nickname of Dadi.
