Updated May 11th, 2020 at 16:09 IST

S Sreesanth opens up about making strong promise to Harbhajan Singh recently

Indian pacer S Sreesanth was banned for seven years for his alleged involvement in the 2013 spot fixing controversy that broke out during his stay in IPL.

Reported by: Aakash Saini
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Indian pacer S Sreesanth last played for the ‘Men in Blue’ in 2011. For his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal during the 2013 season of Indian Premier League (IPL), the cricketer was banned for seven years by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). While his ban is slated to conclude in August this year, the mercurial pace bowler recently revealed some interesting chats he has had with his former teammates over the years.

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S Sreesanth reveals interaction with teammates during ban

In a recent interview with India Today, S Sreesanth revealed an interesting chat he had with Harbhajan Singh when the two bumped into each other at an airport. He said that not long ago, he met Harbhajan Singh where he talked about his return to cricket. S Sreesanth admitted to telling the off-spinner that once he returns to the game, he will be using the bat manufactured by Harbhajan Singh’s very own sporting gear company, BhajjiSports.

In the interview, S Sreesanth also admitted to speaking with his former teammates like Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman on social media. He said that during his ban, many players stopped getting in contact with him apart from a few exceptions. S Sreesanth mentioned the names of Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman as few players who remained in touch with him. Interestingly, S Sreesanth, along with Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, were all part of the victorious 2011 World Cup winning Indian squad.

When it comes to S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh, the duo grabbed headlines in the IPL 2018 when the latter slapped the former on the field after a match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians in Mohali. As a result, Harbhajan was banned for the remainder of that IPL. However, they patched up post that incident and share a good bond till date.

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S Sreesanth on his prospects of return to cricket

S Sreesanth also expressed his hope of playing for India at the international level again. However, he stated that his primary goal is to perform well for Kerala in the domestic circuit. The right-arm pacer said that he wants to play in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship as the concept of the tournament is something that “excites” him.

Despite being 37 years old, he expressed full confidence of his comeback and he cited the example of former pacer Ashish Nehra. In an earlier interview with Rediff, the cricketer said that even his fellow pacer Ashish Nehra played the 2011 World Cup at the age of 38. He added that he also finds much inspiration from the likes of Indian tennis ace Leander Paes, who played till 47 and former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who played till 42.

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Published May 11th, 2020 at 16:09 IST