Revealed: The Cupid behind Sakshi-Dhoni marriage

What's the story?

It has been more than eight years since Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni married Sakshi Singh Rawat. The couple have an adorable daughter named Ziva.

Sakshi has now revealed that Indian batsman Robin Uthappa is one of the more prominent reasons behind her marriage with Dhoni. In an Instagram post, she shared a photo of Uthappa along with his wife Sheethal and thanked him for playing Cupid.

The background

During July 2010, Dhoni married his DAV schoolmate Sakshi Singh Rawat in a private ceremony. During February 2015, they were blessed with a baby girl who they named Ziva.

Dhoni's wife and daughter can often be spotted in the stands cheering him on. They are among the most popular couples in the Indian cricketing fraternity.

The heart of the matter

Recently, Sakshi celebrated her 30th birthday with her family and friends in Mumbai. There are quite a few Indian cricketers in attendance in the party. The likes of Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur attended the function.

Robin Uthappa was also present in the birthday party along with his wife. The image posted on Instagram by Sakshi was from the party. Of Uthappa, she wrote, "Thanks to this man here Mahi n i r together." [sic]

Across formats, Uthappa has played 35 matches for India under Dhoni's captaincy. Having made his debut in 2006, the 33-year old right-hander's most recent appearance for India came during their tour of Zimbabwe in 2015.

What's next?

Robin Uthappa is currently in Australia as part of Sony's commentary panel for India's tour Down Under.

Meanwhile, Dhoni was left out of the ongoing T20I series in Australia. In all likelihood, he will return to action for India when the three-match ODI series against the Aussies which takes place during January.