Cricinfo - Players and Officials

Full name Shanthakumaran Sreesanth
Born February 6, 1983, Kothamangalam, Kerala
Current age 25 years 205 days
Major teams India, Asia XI, Kerala, Kerala Under-19s, Kings XI Punjab
Also known as Gopu
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Batting and fielding averages

Mat

Inns

Runs

Ave

100

Tests

217

15.50

334

64.97

ODIs

10*

4.25

36.17

T20Is

19*

20.00

142.85

First-class

388

10.21

829

46.80

List A

100

7.69

210

47.61

Twenty20

19*

7.80

90.69

Bowling averages

Mat

Inns

Balls

Runs

Wkts

BBI

BBM

Ave

Econ

Tests

2873

1573

5/40

8/99

31.46

3.28

57.4

ODIs

1925

1856

6/55

31.45

5.78

32.6

T20Is

204

288

2/12

41.14

8.47

29.1

First-class

7649

4165

128

5/40

32.53

3.26

59.7

List A

2909

2708

6/55

34.71

5.58

37.2

Twenty20

571

814

3/29

28.06

8.55

19.6

Career statistics

Test debut

India v England at Nagpur, Mar 1-5, 2006 scorecard

Last Test

India v South Africa at Kanpur, Apr 11-13, 2008 scorecard

Test statistics

ODI debut

India v Sri Lanka at Nagpur, Oct 25, 2005 scorecard

Last ODI

Australia v India at Brisbane, Mar 4, 2008 scorecard

ODI statistics

T20I debut

South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard

Last T20I

Australia v India at Melbourne, Feb 1, 2008 scorecard

T20I statistics

First-class debut

2002/03

Last First-class

India v South Africa at Kanpur, Apr 11-13, 2008 scorecard

List A debut

2002/03

Last List A

East Zone v South Zone at Hyderabad (Decc), Mar 14, 2008 scorecard

Twenty20 debut

South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard

Last Twenty20

Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab at Mumbai, May 31, 2008 scorecard

For three seasons, Sreesanth was hardly anything more than an answer to a trivia question - who is the only Kerala bowler to have taken a Ranji Trophy hat-trick ? His rise, though, was rapid, and since he played for a weak side, unnoticed. Not too many bowlers get selected for the Duleep Trophy in their first season, like Sreesanth did in 2002-03 after snapping up 22 wickets in his first seven games. His progress was halted owing to a hamstring injury in the following year, but he returned stronger, with a more side-on action and increased pace and a superb display in the Challenger Trophy, in 2005, propelled him to the national squad for the Sri Lanka series. In the last game of his impressive debut season, he snapped up 6 for 55 against England, the best figures by an Indian fast bowler at home. Idiosyncratic, with an aggressive approach - to the stumps and the game - he can be expensive in one-dayers, but is also a wicket-taking bowler. He does it in Tests, too - in Antigua in June 2006 he fired out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara (for 0) in successive overs, and then took five wickets in Jamaica and played a key role in firing India to a historic triumph. "People think I am high-strung," he says of his whole-hearted approach. "I keep saying things to calm myself and perk myself up, but I don't see it or feel it as draining at all. In fact, it's been a habit with me for a long time, this constant revving-up, something like brushing my teeth."
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan July 2006

Jun 26, 2008

Sreesanth is a happy man during training © AFP

May 9, 2008

Sreesanth arrives in Ahmedabad for a meeting regarding the Harbhajan Singh slapping incident © AFP

May 9, 2008

BCCI probe commissioner Sudhir Nanavati along with Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh © AFP

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