da dobrowin： Sreesanth was his colourful self at thepress conference on Wednesday evening, offering up candid answers on hisdevelopment as a cricketer and the state of the match
Dileep Premachandran in Durban27-Dec-2006
‘He still resembles a coiled spring out in the middle,only ever a good ball away from a riotous celebration or a plaintiveappeal’ © Getty Images
Having starred at the Wanderers with match figures of 8 for 99, Sreesanthknew that an encore wouldn’t be easy. On a Kingsmead pitch that wascertainly more batsman-friendly, he finished the first innings withfigures of 4 for 109, including the eye-catching dismissal of Mark Boucher- stumps splayed all over the place.The man with a penchant for the eccentric was his colourful self at thepress conference on Wednesday evening, offering up candid answers on hisdevelopment as a cricketer and the state of the match. “It was hard workthere,” he said with a grin when asked if there was any disappointment atmissing out on a five-for. “You cannot expect five every game or everyinnings. I’m happy to keep working on the basics and not worry too muchabout wickets.”His assessment of the pitch would have encouraged India’s batsmen, thoughhe shied away from saying whether he intended another six-hittingcelebration when his turn came to bat. “It’s on the slower side and thebounce was a bit less than Jo’burg,” he said. “It will get better andfaster. It was a bit more skiddy this morning. But if the batsmen ‘get in’on this wicket, they can go on to get a big score. It’s hard work for thebowlers.”He admitted that the Johannesburg display had increased the pressure ofexpectation, but said that he was prepared to deal with it. “I was verylucky to be performing with people like Anil and Sachin ,” hesaid referring to India’s most experienced duo. “I also spoke to AllanDonald and Wasim Akram; the more you talk, the more you get to learn. Theyall asked me not to try too hard.”That said, he still resembles a coiled spring at times out in the middle,only ever a good ball away from a riotous celebration or a plaintiveappeal. “The pressure is good at the start of the match because it bringsthe best out of you,” he said, while adding that he had been working onreining things in a little. His reaction after dismissing Hashim Amla atthe Wanderers attracted a fine from the match referee, and Sreesanth said:”It all happens when I’m in that frame of mind, but I don’t want to miss agame.”Most of the experts here, right from the batsmen like Barry Richards tobowlers like Donald, have been raving about the seam position when theball leaves his hand, and Sreesanth spoke about how it was a legacy of thetime spent at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. “I worked with DennisLillee and TA Sekar, on swing and seam position. The basic thing[stressed] was not pace, but to get the seam position and how you releasethe ball.”His own transformation from wannabe leggie to pace spearhead is aremarkable one, and Sreesanth attributed his swing-and-seam strengths tothe often-heartbreaking experience of bowling on pancake-flat pitches backhome. “Initially, I wanted to hit the batsman,” he said with a smile. “Butit’s not easy to hit the helmet on Indian pitches. I used to watch guyslike [Glenn] McGrath and [Shaun] Pollock on TV, and learnt a lot. I learntthat there are many other ways of getting a batsman out.”Playing his seventh Test, Sreesanth is too consumed with the present toworry too much about what lies in wait. He certainly won’t be losing sleepworrying about burnout and injuries. “I love playing cricket,” he said,having joked about how the Durban weather reminded him of being back homein Kochi. “When I’m home, I play four or five games of tennis-ball cricketmost days. I just keep playing, and I’m not worried about injuries. Ifsomething happens, it happens.”And whatever happens, he’ll always have the Wanderers, and a performancethat few Indian quick bowlers will ever match.