Sreesanth expresses disappointment at Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni for not supporting him

What's the story?

Former Indian fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has expressed disappointment at Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni for not standing by him during his tryst with the infamous spot-fixing scandal. Insisting that the erstwhile Rajasthan Royals skipper supported the franchise over him at the time of the crisis, the 34-year old also claimed that Dhoni did not respond to his emotional plea.

"I was sad that Rahul (Dravid) stood by Rajasthan Royals and didn’t support me despite knowing me well. I messaged MS Dhoni, sent him an emotional message. But he didn’t respond (too)", Sreesanth was quoted as saying to Republic.

He went on to claim, "Six or more of the top 10 Indian players were accused by the Delhi Police. If the other six names of the accused come out, it will really affect the game. Let’s face it, this is not the national team. The BCCI is a private firm. If I’m given an opportunity and I’m allowed to play, then I would (not hesitate to) play for another country."

The context

Dravid was the captain of Rajasthan Royals when the trio of Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were implicated in a spot-fixing scandal during the 2013 IPL season. All three players were arrested by Delhi Police and subsequently received life-bans from BCCI.

The heart of the matter

While looking to secure a playing contract with Glenrothes CC in the Scotland league circuit earlier this year, Sreesanth had approached BCCI with a no-objection certificate. However, the Indian board shot down his request. What followed was an arduous legal battle as the fast bowler filed a petition with Kerala High Court in order to reverse BCCI's decision.

When Kerala High Court ordered BCCI to lift the life-ban on the maverick pacer, the Indian board responded by challenging the court's judgement. Eventually, a division bench of the same court restored the life-ban on Sreesanth. The right-arm seamer alleged that BCCI was being biased towards him and some of the other accused in the same case were being treated in a different manner.

What's next?

It is highly unlikely that either Dravid or Dhoni will choose to respond to Sreesanth's claims. With his cricket career all but over, the former fast bowler has already started looking at other avenues to shore up his immediate future.

Author's take

Considering that both Dravid and Dhoni have always preferred to stay out of controversies, their dignified handling of the entire episode is not surprising at all. Even though he has every right to feel aggrieved at the iconic duo's hesitancy to come to his rescue during the time of the scandal, Sreesanth has to understand that they were in no obligation to support him.