Sreesanth : Disappointed, yet positive

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Suddenly, the medium-pacer finds himself in the hot seat. Zaheer Khan, India's pace spearhead , will miss the Test series, courtesy a shoulder injury. It makes Sreesanth the senior-most medium-pacer in a line-up containing Ishant Sharma and greenhorn Abhimanyu Mithun. India's fast bowling resources have looked brittle in the absence of Zaheer, as others have lost form and confidence. More... Straight in the hot seat after coming in from the cold Indianexpress, NihalKoshie, 08 July 2010 A month ago Shanthakumaran Sreesanth wanted to be left alone. During a stopover at the Delhi airport on the way from Lucknow, where he had gone to play a Twenty20 tournament, the one-time showman tried his best to be nondescript. He stayed away from the crowd, avoided eye contact as he shielded his face by pulling his baseball cap way down and wearing oversized goggles. It was only the heavily tattooed arm that was a give away. But suddenly, the medium-pacer finds himself in the hot seat. Zaheer Khan, India's pace spearhead , will miss the Test series, courtesy a shoulder injury. It makes Sreesanth the senior-most medium-pacer in a line-up containing Ishant Sharma and greenhorn Abhimanyu Mithun. India's fast bowling resources have looked brittle in the absence of Zaheer, as others have lost form and confidence. Sreesanth believes that the three-Test series will be a stiff Test of his character. The challenges come in many forms. In the absence of Zaheer, Sreesanth and Ishant will have to be razor-sharp. "It helps when Zaheer is bowling from the other end. He has a lot of experience and keeps it tight from one end. It is also nice to have him around as we can bounce ideas off him and pick his brains. Now, the responsibility will fall on Ishant and me to deliver the goods," Sreesanth told The Indian Express on Wednesday. "I believe that this Test series will be a great opportunity for me to raise the bar. It would be really nice if I can get the big wickets and help India win this Test series. I have bowled well in the past but I want to be really consistent and make an impact." The key for the fast bowlers in Sri Lanka will be to be early breakthroughs. "In Sri Lanka you have to make the new ball count. If you don't get early wickets then the Sri Lankan batsmen can really punish you because it is difficult to generate reverse swing with the Kookaburra ball. In the sub-continent the SG ball is much more conducive to reverse swing. I have played only one Test with the Kookaburra ball in the sub-continent � versus Bangladesh in Chittagong in January�and the ball didn't reverse swing. So the aim must be to do maximum damage with the new ball so it will make life easier for Harbhajan and the rest of the spinners." The 27-year-old paceman knows that it won't be a mean task bowling to the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara or for that matter Thilan Samaraweera. "For a fast bowler, touring Sri Lanka can be one of the toughest tours. I can't recall bowling in tandem with Ishant in a Test match. But I am sure we will click as a fast bowling unit. In 2006, before we toured West Indies, Munaf Patel and I had never bowled in tandem. But we did a good job." Sreesanth dismisses talk that he will struggle but he admits that not playing international cricket since February means that finding rhythm will happen during the practice game from July 13 to 15. "I am not rusty as I have been training at the National Cricket Academy, Bangalore. I have been bowling to Rahul bhai (Dravid). It has been really good to have spend time with Rahul. He has encouraged me and I am in the right frame of mind for the Test series. I haven't played for India for a while but I am not lacking in confidence," Sreesanth said. Bring up the topic of him mellowing down and Sreesanth comes up with a quick answer. "I'll let the ball do the talking this time."

[achilles]

Come on Sreesanth. Make or break series for you. Critical series before the World Cup for you if you want to entertain thoughts of playing in it. C'mon Sree :isalute:

[DomainK]

Cold is not a word you ever associate with Sree.

[b555]

talks more works less :headshake:

[Roshanrocks]

"I am not rusty as I have been training at the National Cricket Academy, Bangalore. I have been bowling to Rahul bhai (Dravid). It has been really good to have spend time with Rahul. He has encouraged me and I am in the right frame of mind for the Test series.

Dravid :isalute:

[hari504504]

Sreesanth will make a strong comeback ! ..good, for us no doubt ! the fakers like Dinda can keep playing IPL

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It will be a test of character: Sreesanth With Zaheer Khan ruled out by a shoulder injury, Sreesanth will have to lead the fast bowling unit. His cohorts — Ishant Sharma and rookie Abhimanyu Mithun. More... It will be a test of character: Sreesanth ‘Party days are over’ Sreesanth says he wants to stay away from the flashlights and put his career on track Prasanth Menon Posted On Friday, July 09, 2010 at 02:01:49 AM Maverick, immature and eccentric — there have been so many unflattering adjectives flung at S Sreesanth ever since he made his India debut. But of late, his conduct on the field has changed for the better. He has cut the caricature part from his cricket which is showing in the results. In the absence of Zaheer Khan, he is ready to spearhead the attack in Sri Lanka. Sreesanth believes responsibility brings the best out of him. In a telephone conversation, he talks about the coming tour of Sri Lanka and his stint at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). You are back in the Indian team after a break. How are you looking at the challenge in Sri Lanka? Let me clarify I was not dropped from the Test team. I was considered for the Test series against South Africa but couldn’t play because of swine flu. Yes, I have not been part of the ODI and T20 squads, but now I must make most of this opportunity. In the absence of Zaheer, you will spearhead the attack... It will be a big challenge. It is up to us to rise to the occasion. Sri Lankan wickets may not be conducive for fast bowling but it doesn’t mean that the quicks cannot get wickets there. The pitch in Kanpur, where I had a five-wicket haul against the Sri Lankans last year, was not a bouncy wicket either. I am going to Sri Lanka to enjoy the game and put in my best effort. You are able to reverse swing the SG ball easily. But in Sri Lanka they use the Kookaburra ball... I agree the Kookaburra ball takes a longer time to reverse than the SG. So I will be relying more on natural swing and getting wickets with the new ball. If we get wickets early, the spinners can do their job. It’s a team game. I have lacked in consistency in the past which is something I would like to correct. In recent months, you spent considerable time at the NCA. How has it helped? When I don’t play international cricket, I sharpen my skills at the NCA. It has helped me improve. Of late I have been bowling a lot to Rahul bhai (Rahul Dravid). He suggested that I shouldn’t be extravagant and advised me to patient in Sri Lankan conditions. Hitting the right rhythm will be the key. Have you worked on any special deliveries? Watch me bowl; I am not going to reveal all my cards to you. But I have worked on my batting with help from Robin (Uthappa). It is important to contribute with the bat too and I hope to add value to the team. And I will be without spectacles when I go out to bat. I did some therapy with an ophthalmologist. I guess that will also help. You are into your fifth year in international cricket. How has Sreesanth changed? I have changed a lot. I am more disciplined now and follow a strict schedule. My day starts with a warm-up at morning 6.30 and I sign off for the day by 10.30 PM. The days of late night parties are over. The last party I attended was nine months back. These days I occupy myself in reading.

[Sir john]

SREE :two_thumbs_up::two_thumbs_up:

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Sreesanth : Disappointed, yet positive It was a shattered Sreesanth as he packed his bags on Monday. Despite being “very disappointed”, Sreesanth remained positive about the gruelling season ahead. Excerpts from an interview to HT: More... Sreesanth : Disappointed, yet positive Amol Karhadkar, Hindustan Times July 13, 2010 Twenty-four hours after S Sreesanth injured his knee during India’s warm-up session, his worst fears came true. He has been ruled out of the three-match Test series due to a “medial collateral ligament tear”, an injury that will take around four weeks to heal. It was a shattered Sreesanth as he packed his bags on Monday. Despite being “very disappointed”, Sreesanth remained positive about the gruelling season ahead. Excerpts from an interview to HT : After the remarkable comeback in Kanpur (against Sri Lanka), you were down with swine flu. Now this… What can I say? I was free of injuries for six months, suddenly this happens. There’re some things in life you can’t control. I will meet a good knee specialist and get it sorted out. I was looking forward to being the silent killer again, that’s what I was in Kanpur. I was confident. What happened in Sunday’s warm-up? I didn’t play kho-kho. It doesn’t happen to everybody, I was the chosen one. Like I was the chosen one in the T20 World Cup, taking the catch, I didn’t complain then. I can’t complain now. It was a normal warm-up but my knee was getting locked and I couldn’t bear the pain. I approached Nitin (Patel, the physiotherapist) and underwent a MRI. It showed a second grade tear. I should be back in four-to-five weeks. How are you feeling now? Disappointed, as I was well prepared. Also, it was (Muttiah) Muralitharan’s last match, it would have been a historic occasion. I have been lucky to play good cricket for the last two years. People might think he came back, played one Test and got injured, but I have been playing matches and training hard. Injury is a part of a fast bowler’s life. I have learnt it the hard way. You were looking forward to this series. The moment I got to know that Zaheer (Khan) bhai was not going to be around, I said, wow, it’s a great opportunity. After 2006, the prospect of bowling the first over was like a dream coming true. Sri Lanka is like Kerala, conditions and weather-wise. I was in Cochin for a month, training hard, because I knew I could get a call-up. Some things, as I said, you can’t control. You have to be positive.

[Fontaine]

What a clown. He hasn't bowled a single delivery and gets injured but already he's given about a dozen different interviews. Meanwhile as soon as Zaheer got news of his injury he travelled to South Africa to the specialist. No interviews, no drama. No wonder Sreesanth is such a waste of a bowler.

[King Tendulkar]

^ OTT. Poor guy gets injured and you lay in to him.