S Sreesanth
S Sreesanth (Credits: Twitter)

Former India fast-bowler S Sreesanth made his much-anticipated return to competitive cricket through the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The right-arm fast-bowler is plying his trade for his home state Kerala. S Sreesanth returned to competitive cricket after serving a seven-year ban. In 2013, he was banned for his involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.

On his return which was against Puducherry, he picked up one wicket for 29 runs, helping Kerala start their campaign with a win. He, however, failed to make an impression in his second outing which was against Mumbai on Wednesday. The 37-year old went wicketless while conceding 47 runs in his four overs. Fortunately, Kerala won the game after chasing down 197 in just 15.5 overs.

S Sreesanth
S Sreesanth (Credits: PTI)

In addition to his return to cricket after such a long time, S Sreesanth has also caught the attention of the fans with his unusual jersey number. The World Cup-winner is playing with a jersey number of 369 instead of his regular jersey number 36 in the ongoing tournament. And in a recent interview with ETV Bharat, S Sreesanth revealed the reason behind it.

The veteran star said that he changed his jersey number because of his daughter’s birth date, who was born on May 9. S Sreesanth further added that his wife Bhuvneshwari Kumari is called ‘Nayan’ at home, which sounds like nine.

“This time I will be wearing jersey number 369 instead of 36. 9 because my daughter Srisanvika was born on May 9. Srisanvika means Lakshmi. Everyone knows my wife is called at home ‘Nayan’. So it sounds like 9. This is the reason I have decided to wear jersey number 369,” said S Sreesanth.

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He further spoke about his goal of donning the Indian jersey once again. S Sreesanth has not played for the national team since 2011, the year in which he helped India win the 50-over World Cup at home. But before dreaming about playing for India, S Sreesanth made it clear his immediate goal is to return to the first-class cricket to assist the Kerala side win the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy.

“Everyone wants to play for the country. It is a different feeling. I want to return with long hair and better fitness. My goal is to start with first-class cricket, and it is going to start very soon, maybe in September or October. All I want is to help Kerala to win the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy. If I get to play for India again in that way, then that would be great,” said S Sreesanth.

S Sreesanth
S Sreesanth. (Photo: Getty Images)

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