Sreesanth last played for the India in 2011.
Fast-bowler S Sreesanth, who was considered as one of the most gifted Indian pacers of all time, will be eligible to return to play all forms of cricket from September this year after completing his 7-year ban.
The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) banned Sreesanth for life for his role in the alleged spot-fixing scandal in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – which has left his career tainted forever.
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However, the speedster, who last played for the Indian team in 2011 against England at The Oval, challenged the BCCI’s order and on March 15, 2019, the Supreme Court revoked the BCCI disciplinary committee’s life ban imposed on cricketer to give him some hopes of reviving his career.
Well, later in August 2019, the former BCCI Ombudsman Justice (retired) D.K. Jain has reduced his ban to 7 years and that he would complete in September this year, making him eligible to play all form of the game having served a seven-year ban from 2013.
As he will be eligible to play cricket from this September, Sreesanth was realistic about his Indian team future, saying he won’t be able to play for the country again when the pacer was asked if he thinks he still has a realistic chance of representing India again at the highest level.
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However, the 37-year-old further insisted that he never believed in being realistic, so he would not lose hope of sporting national colors yet again until his last breath.
Sreesanth quoted as saying by Cricket World, “Realistically no, but as my father told me which I will always follow ‘never give up as long as you’re breathing’. I never believed in being realistic, from a small state called Kerala (not much history of great cricketers who represented India).”
He further added, “I always believed I will play for India and win a World Cup and it happens as the bible says ‘This too shall pass’. Miracles happen every moment, believe.”
Noteworthy, Sreesanth was part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad while represented the country in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20Is, in which he managed 87, 75 and 7 scalps respectively.
(With Cricket World Inputs)