There are beloved cricket players and then there are controversial cricketers – among controversial cricketers, the name of S Sreesanth springs to mind. He is also now in the headlines because of a recent high court decision. We look at the highlights of a bumpy career and what got cricket’s poster child of controversy into the headlines for so many unfortunate reasons.
He made his ODI debut in 2005 and his test debut in 2006 and played for India till 2011. For several years he was in and out of the national team as one of the top medium pacers; though his performance for uneven and his temperament notoriously volatile.
He has been a psychology student and is famous for his break-dancing abilities; having appeared in many TV shows as well. He was also famous for doing his little jigs on the cricket field after taking wickets; in fact his on-field behavior had earned him several official warnings.
In 2008, when he was part of the IPL Kings XI Punjab team, he appeared on the field in tears. This was apparently because Mumbai Indians player Harbhajan Singh had slapped Sreesanth for some undisclosed reason.
In May 2003, Sreesanth, along with two of his Rajasthan Royal teammates was arrested from Mumbai. Sreesanth was supposed to have confessed to the spot fixing allegations when in custody; however he claimed to be innocent and that the confession statements had been obtained by force.
Though the Delhi High Court exonerated the player on spot fixing charges in 2013, the BCCI initiated an inquiry in to the fixing charges and Sreesanth was suspended pending the inquiry. The BCCI’s disciplinary committee found the player to be guilty and banned Sreesanth and teammate Ankit Chavan from cricket for life. However Sreesanth said that he was confident of getting the ban overturned and playing for the national team in the 2019 World Cup.
When all efforts to get the BCCI to lift the ban on him proved futile, Sreesanth approached the court to set aside the ban. However the Kerala high court upheld the ban; a decision that was the “worst ever” according to the controversial cricketer.
Clearly aggrieved at the court’s verdict, Sreesanth expressed his displeasure with the Court while thanking his fans and supporters for their faith in him. He wanted to know about the accused named in the Lodha report and that he would keep fighting. Clearly India's most controversial cricketer is not yet done.
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