6 events that make S Sreesanth controversy's child

On his day, he was unplayable. Well, almost. His outswingers could test the best batsmen in the business. He was energetic, fast, wayward and aggressive. And this controversy's kid of Indian cricket who was popular onfield as a fast bowler was just as loved off it as a break dancer, showman, son and husband. You could love or hate him but you couldn't ignore him. Yes, we are talking about Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, the disgraced cricketer who found himself abruptly out in the cold over a spot-fixing charge.

For the passionate Indian cricket lover, Sreesanth was the hero of India's first-ever test victory on South African soil in 2006-07. He took the all-important catch of Misbah-ul-Haq in the inaugural World T20 final which sealed the trophy for M S Dhoni and his men. He had run-ins with Michael Vaughan, Andrew Symonds, Kevin Pietersen and Andre Nel; and his tiff with Harbhajan Singh during the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) and the 'slapgate' incident that followed was fodder for tabloids and TV alike. The man from Kerala also boasts two World Cup winning caps: he was part of the Indian squads that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011. 

But he received one name in May 2013 that no one saw coming: Spotfixer. The game that gave him everything was shocked. Sreesanth, along with Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, was arrested by the Delhi Police for alleged betting and spot-fixing during that year's IPL edition. Soon after, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Sreesanth and Chavan for life, and everyone wrote them off.

Cue 2015, and in a stunning reversal of fortunes -- thought it may be too early to call it that -- Sreesanth has been exonerated with the Patiala House Court in Delhi discharging him and 41 others in the Indian Premier League 2013 spot-fixing scandal. The entire case was dropped due to lack of evidence.

"No regrets, no complaints against anybody, God willing I will return to cricket. Hopefully, I can take permission from BCCI to use their facilities again and regain fitness." This is what a tearful Sreesanth told news channel NDTV after the verdict. "I will make sure I am fully fit and can bowl those outswingers again," he told media outside the court. "I wasn't allowed anything... Hopefully, I can get fit and come into the selection process."

But even after the verdict, Sreesanths' problems do not seem to be over. BCCI has made it clear the ban imposed by its disciplinary committee on S Sreesanth and Chavan remains unchanged. 'Any disciplinary proceeding or decision taken by BCCI is independent of any criminal proceedings. The decisions of BCCI, based on its independent disciplinary action, shall remain unaltered,' the cricket board said in a statement. 

But whether he is allowed to play or not, one thing is for sure: Sreesanth and controversy go hand in hand. His career was full of events that grabbed headlines, usually for all the wrong reasons. Here are six major controversies that Sreesanth was part of.

1. During a Challenger Trophy match in Mohali in 2005, he dared Sachin Tendulkar. He got Tendulkar's wicket in the same game and broke into wild celebrations much to the Master Blaster's amusement . 

2. He smashed a six off South African paceman Andre Nel in 2006 and broke into a dance mid-pitch while swirling his bat. 

3. He was fined 50% of his match fee for shoulder-barging into England skipper Michael Vaughan in 2007. He also bowled a beamer to Kevin Pietersen. 



4. The same year, he was fined for excessive appealing against Australia during the World T20 in South Africa. An altercation with Australian cricketers followed during their tour to India. Sreesanth also had a confrontation with Andrew Symonds during an ODI match as a 12th man. 

5. He was slapped by Harbhajan Singh after the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians in Mohali on April 25, 2008. Images of Sreesanth crying after being slapped were all over television. Harbhajan was banned from that edition of IPL but Sreesanth was warned and let off. 



6. In 2013, he accused Harbhajan of backstabbing him in the 'slapgate' controversy and asked BCCI to release the video. And in May the same year, he was arrested during the sixth edition of IPL for his alleged role in the spot-fixing scandal.