With him going out of the scene after being accused of involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, unfortunately the overwhelming feeling among fans regarding S Sreesanth is one of doubt and frustration. 

Yet, on a good day, Sreesanth could turn up and deliver spells that would help India win Test matches. The most famous one, of course, came in 2006 in Johannesburg, where he bagged eight wickets, including five in the first innings, as the Rahul Dravid-led Indian team pulled off country's first-ever Test win in South Africa. 

Read Also: "Most of the players used to publicly avoid me except Sehwag & Laxman" - Sreesanth

Looking back now, the right-arm speedster credits the then comeback man Sourav Ganguly for his success. 

"I still remember we had a tour match in Potchefstroom before the Test series. Sourav Ganguly was making a comeback into the team and he would take me out early to the nets before anyone. I wasn’t too good against the left-handers and bowling those lengthy spells to Dada in the nets helped me a lot," Sreesanth told India Today.

“If you would notice, I bowled quite well to the South African left-handers, especially Graeme Smith. After every wicket, I would go to Sachin paaji, because he too would keep telling me from mid-off or mid-on where to bowl."

"I was the Man-of-the-Match, but it was all because of these legends. I didn’t know India had never won a Test in South Africa and it was only later that I got to know. I used to bowl against these legends in the nets and that made me the bowlers I was," added the 37-year-old. 

Another famous moment involving Sreesanth came in 2007 when he caught Misbah Ul Haq at short-fine leg off Joginder Sharma's bowling to help India win the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa. 

"Viru bhai once said Malayalis (From Kerala) are used to catching coconuts from those tall trees, so no way I was going drop that catch. I was just praying and Misbah played the worst-possible shot at that moment."

“We used to work a lot on our catching during the practice sessions. Robin Singh, Venky, Lalchand Rajput, and even Viru bhai used to push us (especially the youngsters) a lot."

"They would ask us to take backward running catches, running from short fine leg and see how it worked out. It had to happen and it happened. I was praying that we just can’t lose to Pakistan," added the Sreesanth, who also played the final of the 2011 ODI World Cup in Mumbai. 

Meanwhile, Sreesanth, whose curtailed seven-year ban comes to the end in September, also weighed in over the issue of potential ban on using saliva, sweat to shine the cricket ball in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"I think maintaining the ball will be a challenge if saliva is not allowed to be used on the ball," he said. "Game is already tilted a bit against the bowlers but I will say if saliva is banned bowlers will just have to work more on the ball on its maintenance and the effects will be slow and delayed. Whatever decision will be taken, I think it will be taken after due consideration."

(Inputs from India Today)