Picture Credit: Twitter
Delighted with his inclusion in the list of Ranji probables for Kerala, speedster S Sreesanth said that he is "overwhelmed” and credited God for being kind towards him. He expressed his gratitude towards his fans and well-wishers.
It is to be noted that if Sreesanth indeed manages to make it to the final squad and then play a match in the 2022 Ranji Trophy, it will mark his return to first class cricket after nine years.
In an exclusive conversation with SportsTiger, Sreesanth expressed his feelings. "I am training really hard and keeping myself fit. I am very much excited to play red-ball cricket once again, as I have already missed nine precious years but I still have the zeal and hope to do justice to my talent," he said.
Watch the video here:
Notably, the 38-year-old had been out of competitive action after being banned by the BCCI for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. However, after being cleared to play, he has played white-ball matches for Kerala and was eyeing a place in the Indian Premier League but went unsold in the auctions. Later he opted out of the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare trophy this year.
While speaking to SportsTiger, Sreesanth compared his potential return to the red-ball squad with the time when he was selected for the Kerala team for the first time.
"I would like to thank all the selectors, captain of the team and staff for considering me eligible to be part of the team once again. Huge contribution in my return goes to my family members and all my well wishers, as well," Sree stated.
It must be noted that the T20 and ODI World Cup winner with the Indian team played his last first-class match way back in February 2013. In that game, the former Kings XI Punjab bowler represented Rest of India in the Irani Cup against Mumbai, where he took the crucial wicket of Wasim Jaffer in first innings.
Kerala Probables for Ranji Trophy:
Sachin Baby (capt), Vishnu Vinod (vice-capt & wk), Anand Krishnan, Rohan Kunnumal, Vatsal Govind, Rahul P, Salman Nizar, Sanju Samson, Jalaj Saxena, Sijomon Joseph, Akshay K C, Mithun S, Basil N P, Nideesh MD, Manu Krishnan, Basil Thampi, Fanoos F, S Sreesanth, Akshay Chandran, Varun Nayanar (wk), Anand Joseph, Vinoop Manoharan, Arun M, Vaishak Chandran