04 January,2011 09:01 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
After shedding tears in slapgate during the 2008 Indian Premier League, India's maverick fast bowler breaks down on SA tour thanks to a rocket from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni illustration/ Jishu Dev Malakar
India's maverick fast bowler Shanthakumar Sreesanth had plenty to smile about yesterday after claiming a five-wicket haul which helped dismiss South Africa for 362 on Day Two of the third and final Test here at Newlands.
But he was far from cheerful a few days ago after India won the Durban Test, a victory, which he played a significant role in. It is learnt that Sreesanth was reduced to tears in the team hotel at Durban after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave him a dressing down. The captain was angry because of the paceman's verbal clash with his opposite number, Graeme Smith in South Africa's second innings.
Smith revealed that the fast bowler's comments to him had a personal touch to it. It is learnt that Dhoni assured him at a function prior to the Cape Town Test that there wouldn't be a repeat 'performance.'
Killer ball
Dhoni also held the Kerala speedster responsible for the team's slow over-rate. Sreesanth felt he had let his team down and was determined to right the wrongs the next day when he sent back dangerman Jacques Kallis with a ball he rated as his best. The 136.4 kph delivery took the experienced Kallis by surprise, hit his glove and carried to gully fieldsman Virender Sehwag.
Sources within the team reveal that some team members make fun of Sreesanth. They treat him like a rank outsider, who is often humiliated in the dressing room. Dhoni has mentioned in two recent press conferences that Sreesanth 'is difficult to control'.
When asked what he thought of Sreesanth's match-winning haul in Durban, Dhoni said: "I told him before this match (at Durban), if you take six-seven minutes to bowl an over, it will be difficult to pick you in the side. I asked him to finish his overs quickly. As a captain, you need to always have him under control. It is good for everyone, not only for him, for our team, for the opposition, umpires and spectators."
Yesterday, he took a five-wicket haul to reduce South Africa to 362, while the rest leaked runs to centurion Kallis.
"He's bowling superbly," said SA pace great Allan Donald. Sreesanth's dismissals in the Cape Town Test include top batsmen like Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher.
SA's legendary fast bowler and former ICC match referee, Mike Procter, who has had a history of problems with the Indian team, has put his faith behind Sreesanth: "I think it is good to show aggression for a fast bowler, it is almost imperative. Sreesanth has bowled magnificently in this series, has been the best India has to offer, and it is important for the Indian captain to back him to the fullest," he told MiD DAY.
"If Dhoni says that Sreesanth is hard to control, there is a problem. As a captain, it is his obligation to get individuals to the right line. However, I feel Dhoni and Gary Kirsten must be able to say the right things to him and make him feel at home. Both are highly capable individuals. If Sreesanth feels left out, then it is their duty to make him feel right. I still feel Indian cricket is in good hands, but Sreesanth deserves credit," Procter added.u00a0
