Most of us have a nickname as our loved ones often call us out of pure affection or at times to pull our leg and these names just stick with us forever. Nicknames can be anything from funny to quirky or plainly weird.
Even the cricketers are no stranger to it, infact cricket has a rich tradition of using nicknames with some players known more by their moniker than their actual names.
It could be their bowling action, or strokeplay or the sheer enthusiasm on field that often earn them their monikers.
Here are some of the most interesting nicknames of our favourite cricketers
1) Virat Kohli- Chiku
When Virat appeared for ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil,' the show's cast found out his nickname Chikoo, also the name of a fruit. It tickled the audience's funny bone. During the question-answer round, one of the girls said that she loved chikoos and made Virat blush. It was his coach Ajit Chaudhary in Delhi who gave Virat his nickname 'Cheeku' over his spiked hairstyle and it stuck.
2 ) Umar Gul: Peshawar Rickshaw
Pakistan's cricket lovers were used to the crackling speed of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar until Umar Gul emerged onto the scene he was briefly given the title of ‘Pehswar Ricksaw' with his not so fast bowling.
3) Michael Clarke-Pup
The former Australian batsman was called Pup when he was the youngest member of the test side for his sheer enthusiasm on field.
4) Ajit Agarkar-Bomaby Duck
The Indian Pacer was bestowed with the unflattering title of ‘Bomaby Duck' after his remarkable run of seven zeroes on the trot against Australia. The best part, he had raised his bat for the crowd after finally scoring a run in his 8th innings.
5) Shikhar Dhawan - Gabbar
During his Ranji days, when the other players wouldn't cheer up the team out of fatigue, Dhawan often used Sholay's dialogues of Gabbar “Suar ke baccho” etc. And the teammates gave him the title of GABBAR which continues to stick with him.
