5 funny on-field incidents involving Sreesanth
The temperamental pace bowler is gearing up for a return to cricket after charges against him related to the IPL spot-fixing scandal in 2013 were dropped by a Delhi court on Saturday.He is an enigma of sorts with his perceived attitude problems more often than not clouding his abilities with the ball in his hand. He has had run-ins with the opposition batsmen with his over-the-top send off’s, his trysts with the match officials and has not always been eye-to-eye with his fellow teammates either (read 'Slapgate').The Kerala lad, who is now 32, has divided opinions based on his on-field behaviour, but to those who see the lighter side of things, Sreesanth has been badly missed. I am sure Sreesanth's well wishers and fans can't wait to see their favourite return to on-field action and perform his best. The same applies for the others who are waiting to see whether they'll still get to see more of the headline-grabbing actions that have made him such a unique cricketer. Here's a look at five of the best such incidents from Sreesanth's eventful career so far.
#1 Appeal (or dare I say pleading) against South Africa, 2010/11)
Sreesanth picked up 18 wickets in the 3-match Test series in 2006/07 enhancing his reputation as a match-winner. But by the time of his next tour to the African nation four years later, Sreesanth had been making the headlines more for all the other reasons.
Four wickets in the first two Tests had done little to alter that reputation, but he came back with a bang in the deciding Test match at Cape Town.
He picked up five wickets in the first innings to help India bowl out the hosts for a score of 362, one his side were able to better by a margin of two runs. With a rare opportunity at an overseas Test series win in the offing, the situation looked ideal for Sreesanth to stake his claim.
It was Harbhajan Singh however who ripped the South African top order picking up four wickets and they were struggling at 98/5. But Jacques Kallis defied the odds to save the Test match for the hosts. The legendary all-rounder who made a century in the first innings as well repeated the feat this time around as well.
In the process, he induced the following moment of frustration from Sreesanth as he failed to pick up any wicket in the second innings. He ended up being remembered for his incessant appeal against Kallis more than his excellent performance earlier in the match. What's more, he did it not once, but twice.