One player who has been in the news recently for many reasons is Sreesanth. The former Indian pacer, who was a regular starter at one point, found himself out of favour and soon castigated for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL due to a fixing scandal.
Four years later, Sreesanth was acquitted by the Kerala High Court for his involvement but was still banned by BCCI from playing.
In his prime however, Sreesanth was a good bowler who could swing the ball both ways. We take a look at the positives and at some of the things we miss about him:
His swinging ability:
One thing that an in-form Sreesanth could do well was to brilliantly swing the ball in and out. Many times, he has given batsmen a torrid time with his swinging ability and he exhibited this talent to the fullest at South Africa.
Sreesanth was able to get the ball to reverse, in-swing and leave the batsman at the last moment as he picked up 5-wicket hauls abroad and in India.
Rhythmic genius:
When Sreesanth was in full flow, it was never easy to hit him. That was because he had fantastic rhyhm and could consistently hit the right areas, making it extremely hard for batsmen. He would get in the zone only in patches, but they were beautiful.
Sreesanth’s smooth bowling action also helped his case as it would give him a better view of the stumps and a good line to bowl in.
His antics:
Whether you loved him or hated him, Sreesanth was always a character who would light up any game with his antics. He had been fined many times during his playing career for his silly antics which would involve unnecessary aggression at times.
In a way his antics helped get the best out of him as he would get into the zone and start bowling better.
Jovial nature:
Whatever Sreesanth exaggerated with his antics, he would make up with his jovial nature. When he was in a good mood, he was always the one ready to indulge in some fun and was a real character on the field.
He would always be the one to be smiling and encouraging his fellow bowlers to bowl better. His nature would rub off on some as they would talk about him with fascination.
Bowled with heart:
One thing that nobody would ever accuse Sreesanth of was the fact that he always bowled with a lot of heart. He was always trying to get a wicket and even if that meant getting hit for runs, he would stick to his guns.
It would not work very often for him as there were times when he would get smashed all over the ground, but on the occasions it did, it was a treat to watch.
By Rohit Nair
