Sreesanth grateful for MS Dhoni's 2009 praise, names person who taught him reverse swing

Indian pacer S Sreesanth recently recalled a compliment he received from former cricket captain MS Dhoni in the 2009 Kanpur Test against Sri Lanka. On a flat pitch, the Kerala-born speedster bagged a five-wicket haul in the first innings to help India a victory by an innings and 144 runs. Even though the match comprised of centuries from Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, it was S Sreesanth who walked away with the ‘Player of the Match’ award.  

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S Sreesanth talks about MS Dhoni’s 2009 compliment

In an interview with CricketAddictor, S. Sreesanth said that his Kanpur spell from 2009 invoked some strong words of admiration from the then Indian captain MS Dhoni. The pacer revealed that due to the nature of the pitch, there was “no way” India would have won that Test match. However, his six-wicket match haul made the difference between the two sides as Sri Lanka got bundled out cheaply in both their innings.

S Sreesanth stated that after the match, MS Dhoni had told him that he was as good as veteran pacer Zaheer Khan when it comes to reverse swing bowling. S Sreesanth also talked about how he learned to bowl reverse swing by crediting a Kerala-based curator named Hamsa. He said that Hamsa himself used to be a cricketer and the two are still very much in touch with each other.

S Sreesanth added that even though he has spoken with several reverse swing veterans like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Allan Donald through the years, it was Hamsa who thought him how to use the crease and how to use the angle.

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S. Sreesanth ban: Cricketer likely to return this year

S Sreesanth, whose seven-year ban for spot-fixing comes to an end this September, may be considered for selection for Kerala team in the Ranji Trophy, subject to his availability, fitness and form. The 2011 World Cup-winning cricketer said he has already taken to indoor training at Ernakulam with a lot of Kerala U-23 players and Ranji Trophy players like Sachin Baby. Interestingly, Baby recently claimed that S. Sreesanth is as lethal today as he was in his prime with his swing and pace.

IPL 2020: MS Dhoni in CSK

During the Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) trading and transfer window, MS Dhoni became one of the 20 cricketers to be retained by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The right-handed batsman was retained for ₹15 crore (US$1.9 million) by the franchise for the now-postponed IPL 2020 season. MS Dhoni, who made his CSK debut in the inaugural 2008 edition, has led them to three IPL titles. Under Dhoni’s leadership, CSK lifted the coveted trophy in 2010, 2011 and 2018 editions.

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Image credits: Sreesanth Instagram