Exclusive: S Sreesanth Recalls MS Dhoni's Compliment, Reveals The Curator's Name Who Taught Him Reverse Swing
Published - 23 Jun 2020, 11:10 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:30 AM
S Sreesanth, on Monday, recalled the famous compliment he received from former India captain MS Dhoni in 2009 after starring against Sri Lanka in Kanpur Test. On a flat pitch, the right-arm pacer came up with a stunning show to help India beat the Islanders by an innings and 144 runs.
S Sreesanth took six wickets, five of them in the first innings, to wreck Sri Lanka’s batting. He was named the Man of the Match for his performance. Incidentally, it was also his comeback match. Following the game, Dhoni had said S Sreesanth was as good as veteran Zaheer Khan when it came to extracting reverse swing.
Recalling the match, S Sreesanth revealed how he was struggling to get into the team before stating that he enjoyed bowling on flat pitches.
“I remember it was a flat track and there was no way we would’ve won that Test match,” S Sreesanth told CricketAddictor in an exclusive chat.
He further revealed the name of the man who taught him the art of reverse swing. The World Cup-winner revealed that a man named Hamsa is responsible for his fine expertise in reverse swing.
“I never used to call any pata (flat or dead pitch) a pata but I used to enjoy bowling on such pitches. I am from Kerala, I never got a green wicket to bowl on. It is a very important thing to have good control in reverse swing and that I learned from a guy named Hamsa,” he said.
“He is a curator in Kerala now he used to be a cricketer and then an umpire. Yes, there was Wasim Akram, there was Waqar Younis, there was Allan Donald, a lot of people I could speak to and I even worked under Allan Donald. But the real guy who taught me how to use the crease, how to bowl, how to use the angle was Hamsa. I am still in touch with him,” he added while recalling the Kanpur Test where was he was the Man of the Match.
The veteran bowler is currently gearing up to make his much-awaited return to professional cricket. His ban will end in September this year. Sreesanth was banned in 2013 in the infamous IPL spot-fixing scandal.
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