Former pacer and two-time World Cup champion S Sreesanth recalls his spot-fixing allegations about how he was tortured in jail and how his parents suffered in society and many such incidents were recalled by him. S Sreesanth was the go to the bowler for India in crunch situations as he not only had express pace but his variations were quite hard to pick.
S Sreesanth recalls the spot-fixing incident
In 2013 S Sreesanth was arrested for a spot-fixing case including two more players and was charged with a lifetime ban on cricket their careers were over after the case, and this made people think that they started hating cricket after this incident. Sreesanth was devastated and he was imprisoned in a jail where all the terrorists had been dumped and he too was dumped there. Being a cricketer and World Cup champion he was shifted to the terrorist ward which is a shameful thing.
“I’m not the bowler who goes for saving runs. I go for taking wickets. So, if you are looking to save runs, I’m not the bowler. So that controversy over… the scenario they put me in, it took me 2.5 years to get a clean chit. After that, I had to fight with BCCI for 4 years which no other cricketer has ever done before,” S Sreesanth said in the interview.
“I had to bring the best of the best people, crores and crores of money were spent on lawyers and moving around, just to be back on the field, when the whole world is against you. And I had very few people around me. There were occasions when people said, “I don’t even know him,” and from there to sitting here, I’m grateful,” he added.
S Sreesanth said about his family
When Sreesanth was arrested his family who had suffered a lot and many backlashes also faced by them. After 2.5 years when he was released, they still went through a tough phase. His parents were not allowed to enter in temple and his cousins and other family members were abused and bullied in society. This kind of behavior no one could listen to or see but they went through such a phase and faced such kinds of backlashes.
“If I speak of that over, the accusation was of 14-plus runs in one over. If you follow cricket, my first five balls went for 5 runs. There wasn’t a single no-ball, not a single wide, not even I attempted to give runs, and it was so-called fixed. Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh were on strike, and the boundary that was hit was on the rise. I was coming after 12 surgeries,” S Sreesanth said.
“I waited patiently. When everyone doubts you, you don’t explain them all but take your time. I needed to prove to family members. My nephews and nieces were getting abused. My parents were not allowed to enter the temples. I had to prove it to the entire who had doubted me,” he stated.
“I gave away 13 runs and if there are no 14-plus runs, then where’s the case? The incident happened on 9th May and I was picked up on 16th, I asked why. I was in the Delhi Cell, the terrorist ward… someone who has two world cups for India. And When I saw mum-dad… My dad had a severe attack, my mother lost her left leg. So many things happened but they never told me about it,” he added.
This incident remains a black spot in Indian Cricket, no one will forget this incident, and the whole world was shocked when it was disclosed in the media.