First up, a trivia question: Who is the only bowler from Kerala to have taken a hat-trick in the Ranji trophy?
Answer: Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
A lot of people may not know this fact. And those who did know this, would have forgotten it by now. The only memories that the name S. Sreesanth would invoke in most people’s mind would be the cavalier bat-swirling-over-the-head dance that he performed after hitting Andre Nel for a six, and the images of Sreesanth crying unabashedly on our television screens after being slapped by Bhajji.
His exploits on the cricket field – although limited – have been overshadowed by his antics on and off it. Like most young Indian cricketers who made their debut during the first decade of the new millennium, Sreesanth too was quick to make an impression – and a positive one too. He possessed a lethal out-swinger which he could bowl at decent pace. However, like most of these youngsters, he was unable to handle the sudden fame and the extra perks that come with job of being a cricketer in India.
What happened next is well documented, and probably has been discussed and dissected to its very core. And yet whose fault is it that he had to stay out of the side for so long? Because it certainly wasn’t just the lack of performance that forced the selectors to drop him. There were other bowlers in the side who were bowling just as bad; if not worse. The man himself is to be blamed to some extent, because at the top level one is expected to take care of himself, discipline himself, and make sure that one do not embarrass oneself, and one’s team in front of everyone. But that fact remains that Sreesanth was not only unpopular among the opposition, but also some of his own team mates. So does this mean that his team mates had forsaken him as a lost case? If that is true, then it certainly is a very sad thing; because every young cricketer who makes his way into the national side needs to have a mentor of sorts in the team. It is well documented how Sachin acted as one for Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh), and apparently Shane Warne for Michael Clarke.
Sreesanth may have been a difficult character to handle, but then that’s what captains and especially, managers are for. Letting go of a player just because he is difficult to handle is not a good thing to do; especially if he is a valuable one. Australian cricket is a perfect example for this kind of situation. Ricky Ponting was no saint when he started playing cricket. But they persisted with him, and today he is the captain of the side. Even someone like Andrew Symonds got a lot of chances, with a lot of players talking to him, before he was offloaded off the team.
And the important thing to remember here is that it is Sreesanth’s stubbornness that makes him different from most other Indian bowlers. Most bowlers’ reaction on being hit for a boundary of a full length delivery is to bowl a back-of-a-length delivery; which most often than not speaks of a negative mindset. But Sreesanth has stood out in this respect that he has rarely backed down and taken this route. He knows his strength and sticks to them; irrespective of whether the batsman is doing well or not.
Allan Donald spoke of his lack of discipline, and recently even the BCCI pulled him up and cautioned him to behave himself. Despite all this, he’s made it back to the Indian team after a long hiatus. Now would be a good time for some senior player to take him aside and put a word of fatherly advice in his ears, because not all players are Anil Kumble, who was born with tremendous self-discipline, and not everyone has a Ajit Tendulkar in his life to keep him grounded. Nineteen years ago, another player had made his debut for India. He too attained instant fame and fortune only to wither away due to what everyone perceived as lack of discipline. The player in question of course is Vinod Kambli. Though he was not so much of a maverick as Sreesanth, but nevertheless there are great parallels here. In the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Sreesanth bowled a beauty of an outswinger to get rid of Tilakratne Dilshan. He had already picked up five wickets in the first innings, but this wicket is the one that is worth watching over and over again.
It seemed like things were back to normal as far as Sreesanth was concerned. But then again, Indian fans have had that feeling before.
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