Dhoni’s like my brother ~ Sree Santh

[J P K]

Sreesanth can’t understand why everyone thinks that Dhoni hates him. In a chat with Prasanth Menon, the volatile fast bowler from Kerala attempts to clear the air In his five-year international career, Kerala speedster Sreesanth has rubbed many players the wrong way and they haven’t always been part of the opposition. At times, his antics have not gone down well with some of his own teammates. And one of the most vocal critics of Sreesanth’s on-field theatrics has been the Indian skipper himself, MS Dhoni. Sreesanth was down with cough and cold as he prepared himself for Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s home game against MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. But the 28-year-old took time out to speak to Mirror and react to Indian skipper’s criticism, the targets he has set for himself and his association with new IPL franchisee, Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Excerpts Winning the World Cup would have been a proud moment for you. But were you not disappointed with your own performance? Frankly, I am still in the World Cup mode. I am disappointed with my own performance in the World Cup. I know I couldn’t contribute much. I tried to give my best. But didn’t get much rewards. Even great cricketers go through such phases. Some players might not find a place in the squad when they are not performing up to the mark. But I was lucky to be part of the World Cup winning team. Cricket is a team game and at the end of the day we have won the World Cup. It’s not about someone performing more or someone performing less. Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn’t seem happy with your on-field behaviour. He said that the only person who can control Sreesanth is Sreesanth himself... Is he not right? An individual can only be controlled by himself. What’s wrong in that statement? He admonished you for your slow over rate in South Africa. He even warned you from rubbing your own teammates the wrong way? I don’t understand why you people make a hue and cry over these comments. If I make a mistake or overstep the line, he has got every right to criticise me. He has spoken to me about it. He is my captain. If a student does a mischief, doesn’t the teacher scold him? If you are tardy in your work, doesn’t your editor pull you up? It is the same thing. So you don’t have any problems with Dhoni? Never have I had any problems with him nor will I ever have any problems with him. He has been there right from the time I made my debut. I consider him as my elder brother. I was part of the T20 World Cup winning team led by Dhoni in 2007. Four years later, I am in the team led by Dhoni that won the ODI World Cup. I played in the first match of the World Cup against Bangladesh and went for runs. The team management decided to drop me from the next few games till the final. If Dhoni had any problems regarding my attitude, he wouldn’t have picked me for a game as big as the World Cup final. I have not played under too many captains. But for me he is the best captain I have played under. He is street smart. So you can expect more Sreesanth’s in the Indian team soon? No! I think one Sreesanth in the Indian team is more than enough to handle (laughs). I mean players shouldn’t lose their individuality. So I don’t want people aping my style or for that matter anyone’s style. But I want to see the likes of Raiphy Gomez and Prashant Chandran playing for Tuskers now to go on and play for the country. What are the goals that you have set for yourself? I want to spearhead the Indian bowling attack in years to come. I think Zaheer bhai has still got a few more years left in him. He has done a terrific job leading the Indian pace attack for years. So when he decides to hang his boots, I would like to step into his shoes. For that I need to keep myself fit. This year, we have got tours to West Indies, England and Australia. I want to play in all those places and be a part of a winning Indian team. Being part of Kochi Tuskers and playing in fr0ont of home crowd in IPL would mean a lot to you? Oh yes! I want more and more people, especially youngsters, to come and watch us play. Having a team from Kerala in IPL will no doubt help in producing more cricketers from the state for the country. If Dhoni had any problems regarding my attitude, he wouldn’t have picked me for the World Cup final Sreesanth http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/71/201104182011041823553587f07ad62b/Dhoni%E2%80%99s-like-my-brother-.html