When Sreesanth ate two-day old Banana to take wickets on India's tour of West Indies
S Sreesanth is currently in the news for his heroics on debut for Harare Hurricanes in the Zimbabwe Afro T10.
The 40-year-old defended six runs off the last over, which included the wickets of Karim Janat and Sean Williams, against Cape Town Samp Army to set a super over in Harare on Tuesday, July 25. His side later won the match after the super-over.
🕰️First over in the tournament ☝️
8 runs to defend 😬
@sreesanth36 rolls the clock back to take the game to the Super over 😵💫 🕰️
#ZimAfroT10 #CricketsFastestFormat #T10League #InTheWild #CTSAvHH pic.twitter.com/tMjN1FGdJw
In a recent conversation on Jio Cinema, former India cricketers Wasim Jaffer and Zaheer Khan opened up on players’ superstitions. Jaffer revealed how Sreesanth once ate a two-day-old Banana for good luck to take wickets against West Indies in Jamaica in 2006.
Jaffer said:
“Mane kaka (Ramesh Mane, the masseur) used to be with the team at the time and he used to hold prayer rituals. Sreesanth was very superstitious. I haven’t seen a fast bowler this superstitious. Mane kaka had a ritual where he’d put incense sticks in a banana to make it stand upright."
The 45-year-old continued:
"Someone teased Sreesanth and said, ‘If you eat the banana, you will take five wickets in the match’. The banana had been lying there for two days and he ate it for the wickets.”
In the game, Sreesanth took two and three wickets in the two innings as India won the Test by 49 runs. He took the prized scalps of Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the second innings.
2005-2006 West Indies v India 4th Test 2nd Innings Kingston, Jamaica
S Sreesanth's bowling figures : 15-2-38-3
Wickets of Chris Gayle, Ganga, Sarwan
Result : India won
#SreesanthDeservesCricket
Meanwhile, Zaheer Khan revealed that he followed the rule regarding his routine. The 92-Test veteran said:
“When I was preparing to bowl and wearing spikes, I had a routine which I do even now when with my normal shoes. It’s become a routine, first, you wear the left shoe and tie the laces, then the right… Superstitions are a separate part of cricket. ‘I watched this movie yesterday so I will watch it before every match’, that’s basically a way to make you think of a good time. Some keep a red handkerchief in their pockets.”
“They would not wash those clothes again” – Zaheer Khan on superstitious beliefs among players, Sreesanth no exception
Zaheer Khan further revealed that some players follow superstitions to the extent that they would not wash their clothes, including undergarments, to ride their luck.
The 44-year-old said:
“There were cricketers who while playing in the Ranji Trophy or a Test match if they bowled a good spell in a session, they would not wash those clothes again. Those clothes have luck and the luck needs to be kept intact."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added:
"You can imagine what comes over the 10 players that are playing alongside them. This has happened and even stretched to underwear! If you wash the clothes, you wash the luck away and can’t get it back.”
Jaffer and Khan will next be seen doing commentary during the first ODI between India and West Indies, which starts at Kensington Oval in Barbados on July 27.