Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has revealed a strange superstition that S Sreesanth followed during India’s tour of West Indies in 2006. According to Jaffer, Sreesanth ate a two-day old banana that was used for a ritual by the team masseur, hoping to take five wickets in a Test match.
Sreesanth’s superstitious nature
Sreesanth, who is currently playing in the Zimbabwe Afro T10 league, is known for his eccentric and flamboyant personality on and off the field. Jaffer, who was his teammate in the 2006 tour of West Indies, said that Sreesanth was very superstitious and would do anything to get wickets.
Jaffer narrated the incident on Jio Cinema, where he was joined by former India pacer Zaheer Khan. He said that the team masseur, Ramesh Mane, used to hold prayer rituals and would put incense sticks in a banana to make it stand upright. Someone teased Sreesanth and said that if he ate the banana, he would take five wickets in the match. Sreesanth, who was desperate for wickets, ate the banana that had been lying there for two days.
Sreesanth’s performance in the 2006 tour
Sreesanth’s superstition did not work as he had hoped, as he took only two wickets in the first innings and three wickets in the second innings of the Test match in Jamaica. However, his performance was crucial for India’s victory by 49 runs, as he dismissed Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the second innings.
Sreesanth was the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the four-match Test series, with 15 wickets at an average of 28.60. He also took six wickets in the five-match ODI series that followed, which India won 4-1.
Zaheer Khan’s views on superstitions
Zaheer Khan, who was also part of the 2006 tour of West Indies, said that he did not rely on superstitions during his career but had some aspects of his routine that he preferred to keep unchanged. He said that he had a habit of wearing his left shoe first and tying the laces before wearing his right shoe.
He also said that superstitions are a way of making oneself feel good and confident before a match. He said that some players would watch the same movie or keep a red handkerchief in their pockets before every match. He also revealed that some players would not wash their clothes, including their underwear, if they had bowled well in a session or a match, believing that their clothes had luck.
Zaheer Khan said that such superstitions can be amusing or annoying for the other players who have to share the dressing room with them. He said that he did not believe in such things and focused on his preparation and execution instead.
