Indian fast bowler Sreesanth recalled pacer Andre Nel’s comments during South Africa tour in 2006-07 which triggered his wild celebrations after hitting a six.
Team India toured South Africa for three Tests and five ODIs in 2006-07. Although the visitors lost both the series, the tour is always held in high value as it involved the team's first Test win on South Africa soil.
Team India defeated the Proteas by 123 in the first Test in Johannesburg to script the history. Pacer Sreesanth was the main architect behind the win as he stole the limelight with both his performance and celebrations.
After posting a first-innings total of 249 runs on the board, Sreesanth’s five-wicket haul helped Team India bundle out the hosts for just 84 runs in their first innings.
During visitors’ second innings an incident took place that left everyone in splits. On Day 3, South African pacer Andre Nel sledged Sreesanth and tried to get under his skin. The Indian pacer replied in style as he smashed him for six on the very next delivery and did a wild celebration that made everyone laugh.
While talking about the same incident, Sreesanth said that his tiff with Andre Nel started in the first innings when the South African smashed him for a six after taking a five-wicket haul.
He revealed that when he came out to bat in the second innings, Nel then told him that he’s not good enough to mentally trouble him.
"A lot of people are not aware of what he said, but he said a lot of things to me. In the first innings, I had picked up five wickets, and when Andre Nel walked out, he hit for a six. He was literally on me. It started when he was batting. When I walked out to bat in the second innings, he started saying to me 'you are not good enough just to mentally trouble me," Sreesanth told SportsKeeda.
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Sreesanth further said that after he smashed Andre Nel, many people called his celebration as dance but it wasn’t dance and was more of a horse riding celebration. He added that it was much like Sourav Ganguly’s celebration after winning the 2002 Natwest Trophy.
"He came up to me and said 'you don't have a heart; you are not good enough and some bad words too'. So when I hit him for six, and everyone called it a dance. I would want to clarity that it wasn't a dance; it was a horse-riding celebration. I did what I felt was right at the same time. It was more like what Sourav dada had done at the 2002 Natwest Trophy," he said.
Notably, Sreesanth took 8 wickets in the match and was also awarded Player of the Match.
(SportsKeeda inputs)
