I feel Munaf Patel deserved World Cup selection more: Sreesanth

For once, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has been gracious in ‘defeat’. The World Cup snub did hurt, but Indian cricket’s enfant terrible has kept his emotions in check. Barring a few posts on Twitter — which bordered on philosophy, hopefulness and optimism — he’s been rather quiet.

Now that’s surprising. Picture this: Neither did he bowl badly in South Africa — well, he played a major role in India’s victory at Durban — nor did he bring disrepute to the ‘Gentleman’s Game’.

The only black spot was, perhaps, his run-in with rival skipper Graeme Smith. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India firmly stood behind the young pacer. In fact, a top official said Smith was “whining”. So basically, Sree did no wrong.

Why then was he not picked for the quadrennial showpiece? At least two former India skippers — Bishen Singh Bedi and Sourav Ganguly — have been left wondering. But surprisingly, Sreesanth has an answer. And no, it isn’t a controversial one.

“See, Zaheer (Khan) paaji and Ashish (Nehra) paaji have been bowling well over a period of time. And the way Munaf (Patel) has improved, he deserved to be picked ahead of me. Just look at his graph. It looks like a computer graphic. He’s been bowling in the right areas. I must say Munaf deserved a spot in the World Cup squad more than I did. And I respect the selectors’ decision. They couldn’t have picked any more pacers. But I will continue to work hard. It’s not the end of the world,” he told DNA in one breath on Saturday.

For the first few days after the team was announced, the only way to get in touch with a ‘dropped’ Sreesanth, one learnt, is by becoming one of his 70,000-odd ‘followers’ on the micro-blogging site. The endeavour was a success.

“I dealt with it (snub) pretty well. Barring a few posts on Twitter, I was fine. I have always been an optimistic person. I look forward in life. Bygones are bygones,” he says.

So how did his mates comfort him? “Most of them consoled me. I have realised that life isn’t a plate of sweets. It’s good that I have learnt it the hardest possible way. Life is a graph and a graph goes up and down. It’s never a straight line. I have to work harder. Period,” comes another ‘philosophical’ reply.

On to some serious stuff, Sree reckons India have a superb attack — even if it’s sans him. “Zaheer is bowling well, so is Ashish. I don’t have to tell you about Munaf’s form. All three have featured in past World Cup squads and they know how to handle pressure.”

The key to bowling well on Indian wickets, he says, is to be patient. “You’ve got to be patient. Rewards don’t come easily on such pitches. But (MS) Dhoni is a brilliant captain and I am sure he will speak to the pacers and formulate plans,” Sree says.

The World Cup lasts over a month and call-ups during the tournament are a given. But Sree comes up with another surprising reply. “I genuinely hope no one gets injured. I know the pain of (sitting out with an injury). I had an 18-month layoff (back injury) once. You must know I am a fan of Indian cricket. I too want my team to win the World Cup. I’ll be training hard at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. I’ll also be playing for Kerala (Vijay Hazare Trophy) and Deodhar Trophy (South Zone). I’ll be busy but I’ll watch India’s matches.”

Sree reckons Brett Lee will play a major role in the World Cup. “The guy is fresh and can be lethal even on Indian wickets. Of course, Zaheer will play a crucial part. And so will Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh). Shaun Tait is also capable of troubling batsmen, provided he remains injury-free. And don’t forget Muttiah Muralitharan. The Lankans are playing most of their matches at home and Murali can be dangerous on those tracks.”

And like every Indian, Sree, too, hopes India can go all the way. “The team is perfectly balanced. The final will be played at the Wankhede and I am sure we will win the World Cup.”