Former India pacer Sreesanth, who is currently serving a reduced seven-year ban by the Supreme Court due to his alleged involvement in spot-fixing in the 2013 Indian Premier League, talked about his difficult days in Tihar jail.
“I came close, very close, to death four-five times but I pulled myself back. Some power, even bigger than god, like something that made god maybe,” Sreesanth told The Indian Express, adding, “I have grown a lot more philosophical in the last six years. No shame in saying that but more than anything I think it was music that got me out of it.”
Talking further about his struggle in the jail, the speedster said, “There was this guy – murderer and rapist – who used to abuse me a lot. Every other word was an abuse. I was scared of him. I soon realised, I had to do something about it. I started to speak to him and I remember after a few days he said, ‘Tere me to dum nahi, teri to fatt gayi… Saath rehna, tero ko karne ke liye bohot log hai. (You are scared. Stay with me. Lots of people want to target you)’.”
Talking about Sreesanth, he has featured in 27 Tests and 53 ODIs for India and has claimed 87 and 75 wickets, respectively.