Kerala-born pacer S Sreesanth finally has relief in his life. After Delhi police found him guilty of spot-fixing in IPL 2013, BCCI imposed a life ban on him. But Sreesanth proved his innocence and on 15 March 2019, Supreme Court uplifted the life ban.
Sreesanth was caught along with his two Rajasthan Royals’ teammates Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila. He even spent some time in Tihar Jail in Delhi. In 2013 Sreesanth challenged BCCI’s decision in court. Till then he had played 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20Is.
Happy Sreesanth vows to make comeback
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After the result came out Sree said, “The life ban has been lifted and that’s a big thing. The court has given me a huge lifeline and I am happy with the opportunity given to me. There are so many leagues happening all around the country and cricket is my bread and butter. To take care of my family, I need cricket back.”
In an interview to Times of India (TOI), Sreesanth vowed to make a comeback. He said, “I don’t know what life has in store for me after all these years. It’s for six years and I haven’t played cricket, which was my life. If Leander Paes can win Grand Slams at 42, I can at least play some cricket at 36.”
The highest court of India has ordered the BCCI to reconsider their decision of life ban within three months. On this issue, Sree said, “I hope that the BCCI respects the verdict of the country’s highest court and allows me to at least get back to the cricket field. I hope that at least now I can walk to a school cricket ground and train there without being told that I am not allowed. I just want to play whatever cricket I can.”
Sree believes age is not a factor
The pacer’s lawyer Salman Khurshid and Rebecca John fought alongside Sreesanth. While giving a statement to the local media, Salman said, “The team (Rajasthan Royals) and its owners were banned for two years only. It is completely unfair that a life ban was imposed on him (Sreesanth).”
But the question remains which is can Sree make a comeback again. The pacer shared his plans with his fans of playing cricket abroad. He said, “Your age is as much as you feel. I would again like to play club cricket in Scotland. Wanted to play last year but didn’t get permission. I can’t play club cricket in England at the moment as I have not played first-class cricket for six years now.”
Sreesanth also thanked his family, especially his in-laws. He said that he is grateful to them to let their daughter get married to him when the whole world was against him. He also revealed that many of his former teammates stayed in touvh during his darkest days.
“Yes, I do get calls or WhatsApp messages from some of them. Bhajju paa (Harbhajan Singh) has spoken to me, Viru bhai (Virender Sehwag), Suresh (Raina) have kept in touch. I keep speaking to Robin (Uthappa) who is a dear friend,” Sreesanth said.