Why India needs a Sreesanth

There is a story that someone told me. I do not know how true it is, but this is what happened. During the annual series that involves India, India A, and India B, there was a match where S Sreesanth was bowling to Sachin Tendulkar. It was a relatively quick ball that took Tendulkar by surprise. Emotion got the better of Sreesanth, and he let out a verbal barrage only to be driven back for four in the very next ball. Tendulkar apparently walked up to Sreesanth and said, “Never do that to me again.”

It could be an anecdote, but given Sreesanth’s mercurial character, people will not be surprised if the story is true. It is this behaviour that has landed Sreesanth in a lot of trouble. Experts lament this; they say that he is a great talent, but this attitude has been his downfall.

Sreesanth has been labelled as a fast-medium bowler, but from what the speedometers suggest, he is genuinely quick. On an average, he has clocked 140-145 kmh when he has bowled in international matches. That is approximately 87 to 90 mph. Added to that speed, he has the ability to move the ball, which makes him an asset. His 5/40 that dismissed South Africa and gave India its first overseas victory against them is considered one of the greatest bowling efforts, as he demolished the top order. Commentators even went on to compare the way he bowled to Sir Richard Hadlee. “The seam is always upright,” they said during that match. This is one quality that Sreesanth has maintained. He is quick, he can make the ball move, but his attitude has been his downfall.

But then, the current crop of Indian players want to have the last word. Virat Kohli abuses when he reaches a century or takes a catch, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar gets into the heat of the moment when he gets a batsman out; people have alleged that Harbhajan Singh has a foul temper. So, why single out Sreesanth?

When you look at the numbers, Sreesanth has not done badly. A Test average of 37 is not something one will boast about, but when you think about it, he has not played 27 Test matches in a row. He has sat out due to injury or disciplinary issue. The match nerves will be there and he has been pretty unlucky while playing outside the subcontinent.

When you look at his contemporaries, barring Zaheer Khan, the others have not done too well. Zaheer, who is at the end of his career, averages a little over 32 from 88 Test matches. Irfan Pathan, who has 100 Test wickets, has an average of 32. Ishant Sharma averages 38. RP Singh, who has a career similar to Sreesanth with respect to the sitting out of Tests, has an average of 42. Praveen Kumar, who has played the fewest number of Tests, averages 25.

So why should Sreesanth be India’s spearhead? For starters, he is quick and has always been quick. He runs in and bowls fast. And if you are fast and can swing the ball, the batsman will be in trouble. It is true that he has not been the most disciplined of players, but he has been one of India’s most disciplined bowlers with respect to the art of bowling. He may not be the most popular cricketer around, but he is a passionate one. He is nearly 30, which means he would have mellowed down. Despite the mellowing, he will still remain a character. And it is characters like Sreesanth that can lift India up from its time of cricketing crisis.