Jaipur: It’s rare for a Rajput not to have relatives in these parts, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn’t have to oblige near and dear ones in the lead-up to Monday’s ODI against Sri Lanka.

“I didn’t have relatives calling, but the Rajput ambience wasn’t lost on me... In fact, the very name of our hotel (Rajputana Palace Sheraton) stirred some emotions,” the Ranchi-based Dhoni told The Telegraph.

It certainly fired up Dhoni to give the Lankan bowlers as much respect he would give clubwallahs anywhere. Indeed, his unbeaten 183 won’t be forgotten by those who either saw the innings in person or on the TV.

Some, of course, won’t also forget Dhoni pointing the bat gun-like at the dressing room on reaching his second ODI century (the first being 148 in Visakhapatnam).

Laughing, Dhoni explained: “I did it for a good friend of mine ? East Zone mediumpacer S.S. Rao... After Vizag, he’d asked me to make that gesture each time I got a century... So, I did it for him and I hope he saw it... For whatever reasons, Rao himself likes to point the bat gun-like...”

Meanwhile, six players ? Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar (Mumbai); Virender Sehwag, Murali Kartik, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir (Delhi) ? left for home immediately after the ODI and are going to report in Pune on Wednesday morning.

They will be celebrating Diwali at home. The rest of the team, as also the Lankans, fly out from here on Tuesday. The Pune ODI is on Thursday.