In a major relief for former Indian pacer S. Sreesanth, the Supreme Court Friday set aside the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI over the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case. The court has, however, still held him guilty of the charges pressed on him by the BCCI’s disciplinary committee. It has given the BCCI a three-month window to reconsider the punishment awarded to him. The court also said that its decision will have no impact on the criminal proceedings pending against the cricketer at the Delhi High Court.
This possibly draws to a close the long legal battle Sreesanth had been fighting against the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) order. The life ban was earlier overturned by Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court in August 2017 but a division bench of the same court restored it in October the same year. While, at 36, Sreesanth’s India career is in all probability over, this latest order may enable him to at least fulfil his wish of playing club cricket.
Regardless of when that happens, if ever, Sreesanth will generally not be remembered for his on-field performances – discounting a few exceptions, of course.
At a time when the Indian team comprised mostly of subdued gentlemen like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and M.S. Dhoni, Sreesanth, along with a few others like Harbhajan Singh, injected an aggressive streak into the Indian side.
But unlike the aggression of other Indian players, Sreesanth’s has never been restrained. His own captain at one point, M.S. Dhoni, acknowledged as much during India’s 2010-11 tour of South Africa. In the aftermath of Sreesanth’s alleged comments against South African skipper Graeme Smith’s mother, Dhoni said, “Of course, it’s difficult to control Sreesanth… Hopefully, he will be on the right side of the line this time.”
And it’s not just Sreesanth’s aggression towards opposition players that frequently invited the ire of his own teammates. From bowling deliberate no-balls to hiding injuries on tours, Sreesanth has seemingly done everything he could to annoy his teammates. When he allegedly hid an injury on 2010 Sri Lanka tour, he was reportedly told, “This time the board is not going to pay your airfare, you will have to hitch a ride on some ship”.
These instances of lack of dedication obviously cannot take away the fact that he possesses great talent. In 2006, quite early into his international career, he produced one of the best spells of fast bowling by any Indian outside the subcontinent. His five-wicket haul in the first innings against South Africa at Wanderers bundled out the Proteas for 84, and led India to their first Test win on South African soil. In a short career spanning 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20Is, he managed to produce a few more decent performances, although never quite hitting the peak of that 2006 Test again.
Also read: Is Sreesanth better as a Bigg Boss contestant than he was as a cricketer?
But maybe he didn’t need to for he is not just a cricketer. He is a showman, an entertainer. On the field, he can amuse audiences with his dancing skills like he did after hitting Andre Nel for a six in South Africa. Off it, he can make them sympathise with him, like he did when he shed tears after being reportedly slapped by Harbhajan Singh. He can engage them with his antics as a contestant on reality TV shows like Bigg Boss. And he can also make them curse him for leaving a legend like Rahul Dravid distraught with alleged involvement in spot-fixing under his captaincy.
Whatever we make of him, he keeps attracting our attention as a newsmaker.