Sreesanth held the catch that won India the first T20 World Cup
S. Sreesanth began as a leg-spinner copying Anil Kumble, switched to pace because he loved bowling yorkers, and ended up holding the catch that sealed India's 2007 T20 World Cup title. His career mixed brilliant spells with fines, confrontations and, in 2013, a spot-fixing scandal that brought a lengthy ban.
Born in Kerala on 6 February 1983, Sreesanth trained at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai after his elder brother nudged him towards fast bowling. He debuted for Kerala against Goa in the 2002–03 season, taking 22 wickets in seven Ranji Trophy games, and in November 2004 claimed a hat-trick against Himachal Pradesh. Being named man of the series in the 2005 Challenger Trophy earned him an India call-up.
His best days came quickly. At Indore in April 2006 he took 6 for 55 against England, his finest one-day figures. Later that year in Johannesburg his 5 for 40, full of pace and swing, bowled South Africa out for 84 and set up India's first Test victory in that country, winning him the match award. At the 2007 T20 World Cup he removed Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden in the semi-final against Australia, then caught the final ball of the tournament against Pakistan. He was also in the squad that won the 2011 World Cup, though he went wicketless in the final.
Temperament was never far from the headlines. He was fined for sending off Hashim Amla in South Africa, and at Trent Bridge in 2007 lost half his match fee for shouldering England captain Michael Vaughan; he also bowled a beamer at Kevin Pietersen, apologising at once and saying it slipped. In 2008 Harbhajan Singh slapped him after an IPL match, and Harbhajan was banned for the rest of that season. Recalled in 2009, he took six wickets in a Kanpur Test and was praised by MS Dhoni for his reverse swing.
In May 2013 Delhi police arrested him with two Rajasthan Royals teammates on spot-fixing charges from that year's IPL. A Delhi court discharged the accused in July 2015, but his cricket ban, first imposed for life, was only cut to seven years in August 2019. He finished runner-up on Bigg Boss in 2018, returned to play for Kerala in 2020 and retired from domestic cricket in March 2022.
Source: S. Sreesanth
