Former India pacer S Sreesanth has been included in Kerala’s 24-man preliminary squad for the upcoming Ranji season. The 38-year-old is returning to red-ball cricket after a gap of almost nine years. Sreesanth last played a first-class match in 2013 when he was featured in the Irani Cup for Rest of India against Mumbai.
After serving a seven-year suspension for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, the veteran pacer was happy to find a place in the starting squad for Kerala.
Sharing the news on Twitter on Sunday, Sreesanth said, “It feels great to be back playing Ranji Trophy after 9 years.
In 2013, Sreesanth was allegedly involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, where he was arrested by the Delhi Police along with Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan. Sreesanth was accused of spot-fixing during the seventh season of the IPL but was cleared of all charges due to lack of evidence and his ban expired on September 13, 2020.
Meanwhile, Sachin Baby will lead Kerala in the Ranji Trophy this season while wicketkeeper-batsman Vishnu Vinod will be Sachin’s deputy. Sanju Samson captained Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day competitions, but Kerala fell in the quarter-finals.
Robin Uthappa, who is yet to regain his fitness, has not been included in the probables list. Varun Nayanar is the second wicketkeeper, while Mohammad Azharuddin has been overlooked. The preliminary camp will be held in Wayanad from December 30.
Kerala has been included in Elite Group B along with Bengal, Vidarbha, Rajasthan, Haryana and Tripura.
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