Kerala-born pacer S Sreesanth in a boisterous remark has claimed that he would uproot the middle stump of world #1 Test batsman Steve Smith after his return to skilled cricket put up a 7-year ban which ends on 13th September.
Stories on comparisons between the batting prowess of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith pop up on a regular basis, Sreesanth additionally voiced his opinion and declared India captain Virat Kohli the higher batsman on any given day. The 37-year-old referred to as Steve Smith exhausting working too however said that Virat Kohli was on a “next level”.
“I’m simply ready for my comeback to uproot Smith’s middle stump and say ‘Thank You Smith.
“Any day it is Virat Kohli. I respect Virat for his work ethics. In fact, Steve Smith also worked hard, but Virat is at next level. From 2013 to 2020, Virat Kohli carried Indian cricket on his shoulders. Being No.1 for so many days is pretty incredible. There’s no comparison,” Sreesanth told CricTracker.
Sreesanth also admitted that the way Steve Smith and David Warner made a come back after their 1-year ban due to a ball-tampering scandal, motivated him. Sreesanth said he should be thankful to the Australian duo for inspiring him and teaching not to give up.
“Cricket Australia (CA) gave Smith and Warner permission to play Global T20 Canada. They came back and performed well, that motivated me, I should be thankful to them. They persisted with the game and they didn’t give up.
“Without being guilty I’ve lost seven years of my life. Still, people call me a fixer, but I say them ‘I respect Supreme Court Judgement’. I had 12 surgeries as a fast bowler, I just want to get back and bowl. Smith and Warner showed me a way forward but I am looking forward to bowl to them for sure,” he added.
Sreesanth confirmed that he would forward his name for the 2021 IPL auction and named three teams he would like to be a part of. Sreesanth said as a fan he would love to join Mumbai Indians as he would get to meet and learn from Sachin Tendulkar there. Sreesanth also expressed his eagerness to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Sreesanth is even hopeful about featuring in the 2020 India Premier League (IPL) if some of the foreign players withdraw from the event due to coronavirus pandemic.
“Obviously I will put my name in IPL 2021 Auction. I will play for whatever team I get picked. But, as a cricket fan, it is Men In Blue Mumbai Indians, because of Sachin Paaji, I played cricket to meet Sachin Tendulkar. If I get an opportunity to play for Mumbai Indians, why not, it will be a great thing to learn from Sachin paji from dressing room.
“Even in this season some foreign players might not play and more Indians might be picked in the squads, then I have a chance to play. Also I would love to play under Dhoni bhai or RCB as well,” Sreesanth, who final performed for India in 2011, stated.
Notably, Sreesanth had earlier advised that he was hopeful about taking part in for India within the 2023 World Cup additionally.
“I still believe I can play in the 2023 World Cup. I firmly believe that. One of the things he taught me was to be unapologetically me. I was always unrealistic with my goals but that’s with most athletes. If you don’t have unrealistic goals, you’re going to be mediocre,” Sreesanth had advised.
