Cricketers generally play for the names on their backs but on plenty of occasions, they are not even called that by their family and teammates. Many players have nicknames that have interesting stories and here are the funniest:
Virat Kohli (Cheeku)
India’s current captain and batting maestro, Virat Kohli revealed his nickname was and is still Cheeku. He said he got the name from his coach who claimed that Kohli resembled Cheeku Das – the rabbit from Champak comics thanks to his long ears and short hair. Kohli is still called Cheeku by those close to him.
Brett Lee (Binga)
The Australian pacer was called Binga by his teammates during his time as a bowler. He was called so as there was a chain of electronics store in Australia which was called Bing Lee. The name stuck and everyone affectionately calls Lee, Binga.
Herschelle Gibbs (Scooter)
Herschelle Gibbs was one of the most destructive opening batsmen to have ever played. While he drove perfectly on the pitch, off it, he did not know how to drive a car and this prompted all his friends and family to jokingly call him Scooter.
Navjot Singh Sidhu (Sherry)
The popular Indian commentator who was once an Indian cricketer is widely known by his nickname Sherry or Sherry pa. It is said that Sidhu’s father was drinking sherry at the time of his son’s birth and that is the inception of his nickname.
Ricky Ponting (Punter)
Ponting was one of the most ferocious and aggressive captains to have ever played cricket. However, his nickname stems from his fondness for gambling (hence the term punter). He would mostly gamble on greyhound racing back in Australia.
Andrew Flintoff (Freddie)
He was tremendous in England’s charge to win the Ashes back from Australia in 2005 and Flintoff is also known as Freddie. His nickname was created because of his surname’s similarity with a very famous cartoon character – Fred Flintstone.
Glenn Mcgrath (Pidge/Pigeon)
The legendary Australian bowler was also popularly known by the name Pigeon because he apparently resembled a pigeon. His light thin frame which he had throughout his career along with his pigeon-like legs led to him being named so.
Anil Kumble (Jumbo)
One of the deadliest spin bowlers in the game, Anil Kumble was and is still known as Jumbo by many cricket fans. The reason behind this is because players felt that his deliveries were really fast despite him being a spinner and resembled a jumbo jet.
Rahul Dravid (Jammy)
Also called The Wall, Dravid’s other nickname was Jammy. The reason behind this was because Dravid’s father Sharad used to work in the Kissan factory where they would make jams.
Joel Garner (Big Bird)
A bowler who could intimidate anyone with his massive frame, Joel Garner received the nickname Big Bird from the popular kids’ television show, Sesame Street. Garner himself resembled a big bird when he approached the stumps to bowl.
