By Kajol Singh & Niloufer Khan
IPL tainted cricketer Sreesanth may be back at home, relieved after the recent events that have seen him in police custody for 27 days — but the feeling of being free, at least for the time being, won’t be forgotten.
“I don’t want to forget about this episode. It taught me a lot of things,” he told the media at a press conference.
Putting up a sincere face, he also said: “I always played the game with heart and soul. I totally believe in India’s judiciary system. I will surely abide by the law of land.”
While the law will take its course in the future, Sreesanth is looking forward to getting back to cricket. But there is something else on his mind too.
“If I can, one day I want to make a movie on what I went through over the past month. All I want to do is play cricket. I wanted to go to South Africa to play the Test series and I had worked so hard to make a comeback after my injury. In my last game (IPL) I had bowled around 145 kmph. Now, I need to start from scratch again,” Sreesanth was quoted as saying in an Indian Express report.
He also said that he was not able to sleep well over the last 27 days and that he would wake up with bad dreams at night. But apart from the nightmares, Sreesanth also said that some of the stories he heard from the jail inmates were heartbreaking and considered himself lucky compared to their suffering.
He also expressed his wish to play at the 2015 World Cup.
Earlier, jostled by the media and blinded by camera flashbulbs, Sreesanth seemed in a daze. As the pacer arrested in connection with the IPL's spot-fixing scandal walked out of Tihar jail on bail, he took some time to get used to the life he had been cut off from after his arrest close to a month ago. After addressing a chaotic press conference at his lawyer's office, Sreesanth rushed indoors and took a while to gather himself.
"I don't know what I just said. After 27 days of being in custody the flashbulbs really startled me. They actually hurt my eyes," Sreesanth said while his inner circle of friends and lawyers attempted to make him feel at ease. A little over an hour after his release, Sreesanth, on the advice of his legal representatives, was weighing his words.
"I totally believe in India's judicial system," Sreesanth told the assembled media. " I played the game with heart and soul."
But once he was away from the media glare and with those he trusted, Sreesanth was candid. "Some of the stories I heard from the jail inmates were heartbreaking. I think compared to their suffering mine is much less. I must thank God and all those who stood by me — my friends, family and well-wishers," Sreesanth said.
Over the next fortnight Sreesanth is scheduled to be at his Edapally home. Relieved to be free, Sreesanth was keen to return to the cricket field as soon as possible. "If I can, one day I want to make a movie on what I went through over the past month. All I want to do is play cricket. I wanted to go to South Africa to play the Test series and I had worked so hard to make a comeback after my injury. In my last game (IPL) I had bowled around 145 kmph. Now, I need to start from scratch again," Sreesanth said.
Sreesanth, along with his two friends H Hamsa and Jayan Thekkedath, who have been in New Delhi during the length of the trial, will travel to Kochi on Wednesday morning.
"I have not been able to sleep well over the past 27 days. I would wake up with a bad dream at night and then wouldn't be able to sleep. I don't want even my worst enemy to go through what I did. Now all I want to do is go home and be with my family and rest for a few days," Sreesanth said.
Talking about how he sees his cricket career shaping up after the spot-fixing allegations, the fast bowler added that he hadn't lost hope of representing the country again.
"I have not been stopped from training so I want to ensure that I stay fit and give myself the best possible chance to represent the country again. I will start training from tomorrow itself after I get the blessings of my parents. I want to play in the 2015 World Cup. I really hope and pray that there are no more hindrances," he said.
Towards the end of the media interaction, Sreesanth was asked if he felt cheated or let down by his close friend Jiju Janardhanan, who was also implicated in the spot-fixing scandal. "Well I wouldn't want to put it like that," he said, before retreating from the spotlight again.
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