It’s over for Sreesanth: India pacer calls time on roller coaster cricket ride | Cricket News

The rip-snorter bouncer that sacked Jacques Kallis in Durban and the pace and swing that shattered the stumps of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden in the semi-finals of the inaugural T20 World Cup are just some of the deliveries that S Sreesanth’s prodigious talent in international cricket showed.
Unfortunately, more than his skills, it was the Indian speedster’s confrontation with controversy that garnered more attention in cricket circles.
Whether it’s the incident involving Harbhajan Singh in the 2008 IPL or pushing his shoulder against England captain Michael Vaughan or his histrionics against the Aussie Andrew Symonds, the maverick Kerala pacer made him more of a friend. of the umpires was then fellow cricketers and fans.

And in 2013, Sreesanth’s cricket career hit its rock bottom when he was involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal. He was not only given a life ban by the BCCI but was also arrested by the Delhi police and spent 27 days in Tihar jail before being released on bail. However, the pacesetter maintained his innocence, saying he was falsely involved in the case and even feared for his life.
The cricket girls, close to his heart, became a no-go zone for the Indian pacesetter. During that time, he acted in films, participated in reality shows and even dabbled in politics — competing unsuccessfully for a BJP ticket to the Kerala Assembly elections in 2016. But while claiming that cricket was his first love , he fought a legal battle to ensure his return to the game.
In March 2019, the Supreme Court overturned the life ban imposed on Sreesanth and asked the BCCI to reconsider the amount of the sentence. Five months later, the BCCI reduced the ban on Sreesanth to just seven years, meaning the former Indian pacesetter was making a comeback to the cricket pitch in September 2020.

At the age of 37, the sailor successfully returned to competitive cricket by representing Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and the Vijay Hazare trophy last season.
With Ranji Trophy returning to the domestic calendar this year after a Covid-induced hiatus, Sreesanth wore the white flannel one last time against Meghalaya last month, taking two wickets before deciding to bring curtains to a two-decade rollercoaster cricketing career.
After the ban, Sreesanth could no longer return to the Indian team and the last time Sreesanth represented India in international cricket was during India’s tour to England in 2011. But there is no denying that the Kerala pacer was part of several key moments in Indian cricket history. He is only the second Keralite to represent India in international cricket, after Tinu Yohannan.
While Kallis’ bouncer in Durban and the mold to celebrate his sixth Andre Nel in Johannesburg would have caught more eyes on India’s tour to South Africa in 2006, it was Sreesanth’s match-haul of 8/109, including a five-wicket -haul in the first innings, with the Wanderers who helped Rahul Dravid’s side achieve India’s first-ever Test win on South African soil. Sreesanth was also part of India’s two World Cup victories – the famous catch he took to sack Pakistani Misbah-ul Haq at Joginder Sharma, which culminated in MS Dhoni lifting the inaugural World T20 trophy in 2008 and the ODI 2011 World Cup win at the Wankhede.
Sreesanth finishes with 87 Test wickets, 75 ODI scalp and seven T20I wickets. But given the talent he was, Sreesanth could have accomplished much more.
S Sreesanth
Born: February 6, 1983
Batter: right-handed
Bowling Right Arm Fast Medium
Teams: India, Kerala, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Warwickshire
to test
Matches: 27
Wickets: 87
Bowling average: 37.59
Best bowling: 5/40
ODIs
Matches: 53
Wickets: 75
Bowling average: 33.44
Best bowling: 6/55
T20Is
Matches: 10
Wickets: 7
Bowling average: 41.14
Best bowling: 2/12
First class:
Matches: 74
Wickets: 213
Bowling average: 35.92
Best bowling: 5/40