Hopeful of making a comeback to the Indian national side, states S Sreesanth

After being acquitted of spot-fixing, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was handed a lifeline by BCCI Ombudsman in 2019, after the pacer’s life ban was reduced to 7 years, meaning he would become eligible to play cricket again, on 13 September, 2020. Having not played any professional cricket since his alleged involvement in the IPL spot-fixing scandal in 2013 - a case in which he was eventually found not guilty - the road back to domestic cricket - let alone international cricket - is bound to be a rough and topsy-turvy one, but the pacer has not given up hope just yet.

Sreesanth, in an interview with India Today, revealed that he is still hopeful of making a comeback to the Indian national side, but attested that his primary goal will be to first find his way back into the Kerala state side.

“I hope someday I will be able to play for India again. World Test Championship excites me and my goal will be to play that,” Sreesanth told India Today.

“My first target is to get into the Kerala team, and hope to make an impact there. I will go through whatever needs to be done and hopefully, one day I will see myself back in India colour.”

Having publicly been paraded as a criminal, the Keralite's reputation has taken a massive hit over the course of the last seven years and the pacer went on to reveal that several ex-national teammates of his have intentionally avoided any sort of communication with him. Sreesanth, however, added that his relationship with his former teammates have improved with time and even revealed that he had met up with Harbhajan Singh, who’d infamously slapped him back in 2008, at the airport.

“Publicly, most the players used to avoid me except for Viru bhai, Laxman bhai and just three-four others would stay in touch with me. I also understood their apprehensions and I also didn’t make an effort to engage with them as there were court proceedings going on against me. 

“But then things improved in a couple of years. I met Bhajju pa (Harbhajan Singh) at the airport not too long ago and I told him when I start playing cricket I will use the bat manufactured by Bhajji Sports.”

A pacer part of India’s World Cup winning side in 2011, Sreesanth’s last appearance for India came against England at the Oval in 2011, a series which the Indians lost 4-0.