Sreesanth speaks in support of Indians playing abroad

Indian pacer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth spoke in favour of Indians going out to play in foreign T20 leagues in order to hone their skills. The Kerala speedster was speaking on an Instagram Live with Sportskeeda on Friday.

Sreesanth’s comments came after Suresh Raina earlier batted for Indian players to play in T20 leagues abroad. Currently, the BCCI does not allow contracted Indian cricketers to participate in leagues across the globe.

“I completely agree with him (Suresh Raina), and I’m very sure that the BCCI will also agree with him. While IPL players are well taken care of, a lot of cricketers… first-class cricketers that do not play IPL, the season is very small for them,” Sreesanth said.

The former Rajasthan Royals pacer also expressed confidence in Sourav Ganguly’s way of going about things, saying he was confident that the BCCI President would allow it to happen. According to Sreesanth, any player that has earned a contract with any team in another country should be allowed to play.

“I just want to say that first-class cricketers should definitely get to play abroad. I am sure that Dada (Sourav Ganguly), who is the president now, will take the right decision. Indian cricketers should play as many matches as possible. I feel whoever gets a contract should be allowed to play,” Sreesanth added.

Sreesanth believes that domestic cricket should be prioritised

On being asked about his ambitions to play in a T20 league elsewhere, Sreesanth added that he would love to play in leagues like the CPL and the BBL to keep playing cricket.

However, the 2011 World Cup winner also made it clear that Indian domestic cricket needs to remain the priority. According to Sreesanth, it was good for Indians to be playing in T20 leagues abroad, but not at the expense of the domestic tournaments that are happening in the country.

“I’d love to play (in BBL and CPL) because it is important to keep playing cricket,” Sreesanth quipped.

“However, I will definitely say that nobody should go and play abroad during the Indian domestic cricket season. To improve Indian cricket, all our legends and national team cricketers should play domestic cricket, and not just the IPL,” the 37-year-old added.

Sreesanth hasn’t played cricket since turning out for the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. A ban in connection to spot-fixing claims has seen the fast bowler miss out on a massive chunk of his career.

Could we see the expressive pacer play in leagues abroad to boost his chances of a comeback to the Indian national team? Only time will tell.