Courtesy: Javagal Srinath (Hindustan Times)
I do agree with Sri - the team would like to treat it as just an off game for one player and move on. However, it seems unlikely that Sreesanth might get to play in the next few outings. The next couple of games for India are in B'lore and there is a good chance that Dhoni might go in with a 2+2 attack for those games. Given what happened in the warm-up game against Australia and given that India would be playing England and Ireland (with due respect to the spin-playing abilities of Straussy and his men) next, playing Piyush/Ashwin instead of the third seamer sounds like a good plan. I don't think this is really the end of the tournament for Sreesanth. In my opinion, he is still the best early-wicket-taking seam option that India has in its squad and the bowling coach would need to ensure that Sreesanth is ready to deliver when the time comes.
Everyone has had a go at Sreesanth for being expensive. He did go for plenty but we need to look at the reasons for his less-than-impressive performance.
First, we must understand his frame of mind. When the World Cup 15 was announced last month, Sreesanth wasn’t a part of the team. He was a late inclusion and it looked that he couldn’t prepare well. Between the severe sense of rejection and sudden acceptance, his preparation went for a toss. I gather he was also not an original choice in the playing eleven.
With the swing and pace he was trying to generate, it looked as if he wanted a wicket off every delivery. We should not read too much into his performance on Saturday.
I do agree with Sri - the team would like to treat it as just an off game for one player and move on. However, it seems unlikely that Sreesanth might get to play in the next few outings. The next couple of games for India are in B'lore and there is a good chance that Dhoni might go in with a 2+2 attack for those games. Given what happened in the warm-up game against Australia and given that India would be playing England and Ireland (with due respect to the spin-playing abilities of Straussy and his men) next, playing Piyush/Ashwin instead of the third seamer sounds like a good plan. I don't think this is really the end of the tournament for Sreesanth. In my opinion, he is still the best early-wicket-taking seam option that India has in its squad and the bowling coach would need to ensure that Sreesanth is ready to deliver when the time comes.
