Sreesanth made an emotional comeback to formal cricket after being away from the sport for seven years due to the spot fixing ban imposed by the BCCI. After his ban was overturned, Sreesanth was seen warming up for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December with the Kerala team. The warm-ups showed that he had not lost his pace, swing or aggression. In several videos posted by the Kerala Ranji team, Sreesanth was at his aggressive best and was gunning for wickets in each session. Sreesanth finally got his chance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Kerala and Puducherry that was played at the Wankhede stadium.
Puducherry chose to bat and they got off to a fast start. Sreesanth came to bowl in the fourth over and with the second ball, he got one full delivery to swing back in sharply and Fabid Ahmed was bowled for 10. The celebrations were a sight to behold, with Sreesanth running across and celebrating with his team-mates wildly. After the celebrations, Sreesanth folded his hands and paid his gratitude to the cricket pitch. This action won him plenty of plaudits for social media as they saw the pacer bowl really well. Sreesanth ended with figures of 1/29 from four overs as Kerala won the match by six wickets thanks to a solid knock from Sanju Samson.
Appetite for wickets intact
Sreesanth's exhibition of bowling showed that his appetite for wickets had now slowed down. Fans said that his seven-year exile from the game had not slowed him down and they appreciated his hard work and mental strength. Some fans even remarked that the 'Lion' had not forgotten to hunt and that 'the King of the Jungle was back'.
Kerala will next take on Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali 2021 encounter at the Wankhede stadium. Mumbai are coming off a big loss against Delhi in their previous game in which they conceded over 200 runs. Sreesanth will be hoping that he gets a shot in the game against Mumbai and show his mettle. Sreesanth's first aim will be to make a comeback in the IPL and possibly, a stint with the Indian cricket team for the 2021 ICC Cricket World Cup that will be held in India.
