Published 12:18 IST, July 20th 2020
Sreesanth surprisingly named in Kerala captain Sachin Baby's all-time IPL XI
Sreesanth, whose ban is set to end this year in September, has been added by Kerala in the list of Ranji probables with Sachin Baby as the captain of the team.
Advertisement
The coronavirus pandemic has brought all the cricketing activities to a halt. There has been no cricketing action in India for the last four months. The IPL 2020, which was slated to start on March 29, was postponed indefinitely due to the global crisis which has given cricketers ample time to interact with their fans.
Sachin Baby picks all-time IPL XI, names MS Dhoni as captain
While some cricketers have resorted to social media, others have been busy choosing their all-time IPL teams. The latest to join this bandwagon is Kerala captain Sachin Baby. While speaking to sports presenter, Dr. Yash Kashikar on Instagram, the southpaw went on to pick his all-time IPL XI as he picked some of the best players he has played with and against.
Sachin Baby started by picking Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle as openers of his all-time IPL XI team. Rohit Sharma is the most successful skipper in IPL with four titles to his name while Chris Gayle, who is an IPL veteran, is now with KXIP and has become their batting mainstay.
The middle-order comprises of his former RCB teammates Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers who can take the game away from the opposition in a jiffy. At No. 5, Sachin Baby picked Suresh Raina. The pick comes as a surprise because Suresh Raina has batted at No. 3 for the majority of his IPL career. However, Sachin Baby gave him a dual role of a finisher and accumulator depending upon the situation.
Baby then picked MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper and also named him as the captain of his all-time IPL XI. The former RCB man then chose Hardik Pandya as the only all-rounder in his team. Baby's bowling attack has a lone spinner in the form of Rashid Khan while three pacers make the cut into his team.
The Kerala lad picked Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mitchell Starc and Sreesanth as the three speedsters. Sreesanth's inclusion comes as a major surprise considering the fact that the right-arm pacer hasn’t played in the IPL since the 2013 season and was banned for spot-fixing during the tournament. However, Sreesanth's ban is set to end this year in September. The Kerala team has also added him in the list of Ranji probables with Sachin Baby as the captain of the team.
ALSO READ | MS Dhoni forfeited 2011 team trip in Bengaluru only because Gary Kirsten was denied entry
Sachin Baby claims Sreesanth is still not match fit
Recently, Sachin Baby made a huge claim about Sreesanth's fitness. Baby opined that Sreesanth is still unplayable, he maintained his stand on his bowling but said that that the 38-year-old is not ‘match fit’. While speaking to CricketAddictor, Sachin Baby said that Sreesanth and he have been training together for the last seven years and added that he always likes to bowl.
Sachin Baby further said that Sreesanth has been maintaining his body well. He claimed that the match fitness is not with him but still he is fit and bowling well in the nets. Sachin Baby mentioned that they were looking forward to Sreesanth's comeback. He also said that after the ongoing rainy season in Kerala, Sreesanth will be back in the match fitness too because he is working extremely hard.
IMAGE COURTESY: SREESANTH INSTAGRAM
12:18 IST, July 20th 2020