Sreesanth firmly believes he can play for India in the 2023 World Cup
Indian pacer Sreesanth has said that he believes he can make it into the Indian squad for the 2023 World Cup. The 37-year-old will be eligible to play cricket again from September this year, and will be available for selection for the Kerala Ranji Trophy team provided he maintains the required fitness levels.
With the Kerala team looking forward to the quick's return, Sreesanth thanked his fitness coach Tim Grover for helping him keep in proper shape.
"I still believe I can play in the 2023 World Cup. I firmly believe that. One of the things he (Tim Grover) taught me was to be unapologetically me. I was always unrealistic with my goals but that’s with most athletes," Sreesanth told Deccan Herald.
"If you don’t have unrealistic goals, you’re going to be mediocre. I think when you manage to convince your subconscious to believe in these unrealistic dreams, great things can happen. You can achieve anything," he added.
Sreesanth's mental struggles
Sreesanth was banned for life from cricket when he was allegedly involved in spot-fixing in the 2013 edition of the IPL, along with fellow Rajasthan Royals players Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.
The ban was reduced to seven years, which means that Sreesanth can return to playing cricket in September. He revealed that he went through a lot of mental trauma during the ban, and thanked his family for always being there for him and providing him the support that he needed.
"It (suicidal thoughts) is something I battled with incessantly in 2013," he revealed. "It was there everywhere I turned, the easy way out, but my family kept me sane. I had to stick around for my family. I knew they needed me," said Sreesanth.
"These moments of loneliness can give you rare insights into your own being. That’s huge because people don’t appreciate who they are. I don’t like talking about this but there was a time when I was struggling to pay my bills. I didn’t know where my next meal would come from," Sreesanth added.