Shantakumaran Sreesanth, born February 6, 1983, is one of India’s most controversial cricketers of all time. A maverick with the ball, he garnered acclaim as one of India’s highly talented seamers. Sreesanth had the ability to run through sides on his day, but frequent bouts of indiscipline and a penchant for controversy have often landed him in trouble. Sreesanth changed his name to Sreesunth (note the “U” instead of “A”) in 2006 following a slump in form, but later reconsidered due to what he said were “sentimental” reasons.
This two time World Cup winner also has transformed his body into quite an enviable one.
Here’s a look at the transformation of this Indian cricketer:
1. “Gopu”
Sreesanth, born in Kothamangalam, Kerala, is also called “Gopu” by his friends and family. Gopu’s herculean body today seems to have gathered much fame for his discipline.
2. Kerala Pioneer
Sreesanth was the first bowler from Kerala to take a Ranji Trophy hat-trick. He was also the first man from Kerala to play a Twenty20 International (T20I) for India.
3. Slap-gate with Harbhajan Singh
The now-infamous clash between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth has been well documented. In the inaugural season of IPL, Sreesanth — playing for Kings XI Punjab — went up to Harbhajan, who was a part of the losing Mumbai Indians, after a match between the two sides. While it is not clear what exactly the interaction between the pair was, it culminated in Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth hard enough to make the latter cry on the field. While Sreesanth maintains that he said something innocuous, Harbhajan has been less open about discussing the incident.
4. Sreesanth vs. Sachin Tendulkar
Sreesanth impressed all and sundry by taking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar early in the Challenger Trophy 2005-06 season, getting him out leg before for just four and then celebrating wildly. Later in the Irani Trophy 2013 between Mumbai and Rest of India, Sreesanth bounced Tendulkar, who was batting on 95. Sreesanth banged in a short ball that followed Tendulkar and hit him on the shoulder. Tendulkar replied in typical fashion off the next ball; a delightful cover drive that split the gap with the precision of a surgeon.
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5. Sreesanth’s celebratory moves
Sreesanth is known for his love of dancing. He showed this often while celebrating wickets or even while fielding. But perhaps his most famous moment of dancing came in India’s tour of South Africa in 2006-07.
India were 219 for nine in the second innings, with Sreesanth and VRV Singh in the middle. Andre Nel (touted to be South Africa’s version of Sreesanth) was bowling. He bowled a dot ball to Sreesanth and said a few words. Sreesanth responded in the most hilarious way; he swung Nel for a six back over his head, and then proceeded to dance all the way from the striker’s end to the non-striker’s end while imitating riding a horse.
6. Sports shop
A photograph of cricketer S. Sreesanth smiles at passers-by from a board atop S36 sports store at Edappally in the city. The store, referred to as ‘Sreesanth’s sports shop’ by people here, is the first and only venture of S36 Sports and Entertainment Private Limited, in which the cricketer owns 74 per cent shares.
7. IPL tourist
Sreesanth has played for three teams in IPL — Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), and Rajasthan Royals (RR). While he was quite successful for KXIP, he was less effective for the other two teams.
8. Guilty till proven innocent
When the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal broke, Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, and Sreesanth were the three players accused of being involved in the racket. While the other two were First-Class cricketers, Shantakumaran Sreesanth was the most high-profile of the trio, having been a former India player and a two-time World Cup winner (he was a part of the ICC World T20 2007, and ICC World Cup 2011 winning sides).
However, to this day Sreesanth maintains that he was innocent and that the BCCI had “sealed his fate in five minutes,” despite the fact that he was yet to be proven guilty by the Court.
In July 2015, MCOCA court at Patiala House Court in New Delhi acquitted Sreesanth and two other accused cricketers in IPL spot fixing scandal.
9. Marriage woes
Before Shantakumaran Sreesanth married Bhuvneshwari Kumari, he was rumoured to be in a relationship with an unnamed girl from Kerala till the girl’s family decided against the marriage due to Sreesanth’s volatile nature. After he was arrested for spot-fixing, his wedding with Bhuvneshwari was also on the rocks. However, luckily for him the marriage went through and the couple are happily married.
10. Jhalak Dikhla Jaa
After the IPL spot-fixing controversy Sreesanth was unable to play competitive cricket, so he switched his attention to his other passion – dancing. Sreesanth took part in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, a dance-based reality show. However, the sailing was not smooth there either.
11. Controversies everywhere
After being eliminated from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Shantakumaran Sreesanth threw a fit and stormed out after having a showdown with the judges. He later blamed his outburst on a back injury and his poor performance in his last round due to which he was eliminated.
12. Acting future
Sreesanth was rumoured to be in talks for a lead role in a Bollywood film which was a remake of an old Malyali superhit. He was also set to appear in a Malyali film. Neither of the two films have come to fruition, but Sreesanth has certainly set his eyes on showbiz. Shantakumaran Sreesanth was last seen in Aksar 2.
13. Political stint
In 2016, Sreesanth joined the political outfit BJP and was the nominated candidate for Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala’s Assembly Elections. However, he failed to make it even to runners up after a massive defeat. Post elections, he again diverted his focus to playing cricket.