S Sreesanth: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

By Satej Karandikar

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Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Kerala’s finest cricketing produce, has carved a niche for himself in international cricket – a niche that no cricketer would be proud of. Sreesanth is tough and aggressive. But his aggression, at times, has gone beyond acceptable limits to lane himself in trouble. Critics have dubbed his on-field outbursts as ‘antics’, but I don’t see it that way.

Sreesanth comes from a state which has produced very few greats of the game. Apart from Tinnu Yohannan and B. Ramprakash, there is no other top class cricketer from the state that the average cricket fan can name. To graduate from first class cricket for Kerala to playing international cricket for India against the world definitely requires something extra. The added spring in his step… he bowled at a good pace and swung the ball beautifully. The fire within him rages uncontrollably at time and this is where things go wrong.

Sreesanth’s history of being a bad boy runs long…. Be it the IPL slapgate, showing dissent towards an umpire like in the recently-concluded three Test match series between India and South Africa wherein he was slapped 10% of his match fee…

His hot-headedness has created a negative image of himself and created enemies for himself. If he reins in his temper, he could do wonders. There’s nothing more lethal than a cool head on an able shoulder.

Who can forget the six he hit against South African paceman Andre Nel in 2006? It was a befitting reply to the towering bowler. It definitely put Sreesanth on the world stage. He did well as a bowler in the just-concluded Test series against South Africa to steady his place in the Indian team.

We love the passionate, skillful and aggressive Sree, but we would like him to see him attract more attention for his bowling than his temper tantrums. The rate at which he is growing, nothing in this world can stop him – not even injuries. (Suspensions are another issue altogether!) Let’s hope the Kerala speedster’s wheels remain well oiled for long.

(Satej Karandikar, a FYBMM student, is an avid cricket fan and blogger)