Former India seamer Praveen Kumar has shared some dark secrets of the Indian team he played a decade ago.
One of the finest swing pacers of his time, Praveen Kumar played international cricket from 2007 to 2012 and was a key part of the 2008 Commonwealth Bank ODI Tri-series win in Australia under MS Dhoni. However, his career suffered significantly due to injuries and off-field drama.
In a recent interview with The Lallantop, Praveen revealed that one senior player tarnished his reputation as a drinker even though most of the players of the Indian team during his time used to drink alcohol.
“Karte sab hai. Lekin wahi baat hai na ki badnaam kar dete hai ‘PK toh drink karta hai’,” Praveen said.
“Did I drink on the ground or open the bottle in the dressing room?”: Praveen Kumar
Kumar alleged that his was defamed as a drinker by one senior player and that spread across the Indian cricket circuit, which then led to him not getting even coaching contracts in IPL and domestic teams after his playing days were over.
“When I joined the Indian team, a few senior players asked me to stop drinking and avoid a few other things. However, everyone consumed alcohol but still maligned my name. While many senior players treated us youngsters very well, there was someone who spread negativity around my name. I don’t want to name that person on camera, but everybody knows who ruined my image.
“In 2018, I had expected that one of the IPL franchises would sign me as a bowling coach. Forget that; even my own Uttar Pradesh team did not call me to work with the Ranji team. The only reason they had was that I used to drink alcohol. But did I drink on the ground or open the bottle in the dressing room?” the 37-year-old asserted.
The seamer also went into depression for a while after not getting even bowling coach roles and refuted some of the rumors about his rude and violent behavior.
Watch the video here:
Shastri can drink in team bus and can coach team
Jadeja can smoke hookaah and still make into the team
MS Dhoni can smoke hukkah in private party
But legendary bowler Praveen Kumar who drink privately cannot coach even a Ranji team.
Double standards of @BCCI pic.twitter.com/OHki8mpz8l
— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) January 7, 2024
Praveen Kumar featured in 6 Tests, 68 ODIs, and 10 T20Is for India, picking up a total of 112 wickets. He featured in 119 IPL matches for five teams – Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Lions.
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