One of India’s most talented fast bowlers, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, turns 35 today. It has been over four years since the Kerala cricketer was banned from cricket for life by the BCCI for being involved in spot-fixing in IPL 2013.
With his cricketing career now behind him, Sreesanth has ensured that his name does not slip away into obscurity. He has explored a number of other career paths, including an acting stint.
Here’s a look what the fast bowler has been up to in the recent past:
1. Making Stride in Entertainment World
Almost a year after receiving a life ban, Sreesanth signed Bhushan Kumar and Pooja Bhatt’s Cabaret in November 2014. The film also stars Richa Chadda and Gulshan Deviah.
In Cabaret, the Kerala lad plays a role of a dance mentor. The shooting of the film has been completed but the movie is yet to hit the screens.
The paceman has also been cast as a biker in Team 5, a bilingual (Malayalam and Telugu) film.
In 2017, Sreesanth acted in his second Bollywood flick Aksar 2 where he played the role of a lawyer.
Apart from movies, Sreesanth also took part in a dance reality show on television.
2. Entered the World of Politics
Sreesanth joined the BJP in 2016. He contested for the Kerala assembly elections in May that year. He lost the Thiruvananthapuram constituency to Congress’ VS Sivakumar by 11,710 votes.
After facing defeat, the paceman tweeted:
3. The Family Man
On 12 December 2013, Sreesanth married his girlfriend Bhuvneshwari Kumari.
Sreesanth and his wife Bhuvneshwari became proud parents to a baby girl in Mumbai in May 2015.
In November 2016, Sreesanth and his wife had their second child, a boy this time.
4. Tried to Play League Cricket
The 34-year-old wanted to play league cricket for Glenrothes CC in Scotland. However, the BCCI denied him permission to do so.
Sreesanth was declared innocent in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case by a trial court in New Delhi due to insufficient evidence, but since the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit found the bowler guilty, the BCCI’s decision to ban the paceman for life remain unchanged.
This means that he may not play competitive cricket in any part of the world again.
5. Bowled for the First Time in 4 Years
However, it looks like Sreesanth has no plans to give up on cricket. He bowled his first delivery after fours years on 23 January in 2017.
And the ball was pitched on a good line. In a tweet, he said that he does not plan to give up. To say that the cricketer, who was a part of the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup winning teams, loves the game, would be a massive understatement.
6. Hoping against Hope
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the BCCI on a petition filed by Sreesanth challenging a Kerala High Court verdict that restored the life ban imposed on him.
The apex court has given BCCI four weeks to respond to the petition by Sreesanth.
All the 36 accused in the spot-fixing case, including Sreesanth were let off by a Patiala House Court in July 2015. However, the BCCI has refused to alter its decision even after the verdict.
In the appeal filed by BCCI earlier, the board had said that the decision to ban the cricketer was taken based on the evidence against him.
(This article was originally published on 3 February 2017 and has been republished from The Quint’s archive on the occasion of Sreesanth’s birthday.)
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