Out-of-favour Indian pacer, Sreesanth has denied claimed that he abused Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton after being dropped for an IPL match in 2013. The 37-year-old instead said that he only asked reasons for being dropped ahead of the crucial IPL game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a team he deemed his worst rivals in the franchise tournament because their jersey colour resembled the Australian national cricket team. Upton, who served as the mental condition coach of the Indian national team from 2008 to 2011 and as coach of the Rajasthan Royals from 2013-15, had written in his book ‘The Barefoot Coach’ about Sreesanth’s alleged ugly spat with then captain Dravid. I Don’t Hate MS Dhoni or CSK, the Jersey Resembles Australian Team: S Sreesanth.

The World Cup-winning bowler, however, thwarted all claims and said that he could never disrespect a man like Raul Dravid. “I could never disrespect a man like Rahul Dravid. He is the best captain. I was angry because I was not part of the squad during the CSK match. I asked the reason for the same,” Sreesanth said in a live session on HELO app. Sreesanth Credits Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly For Making Him the Bowler He Was.

“Yes, I wanted to play against CSK and want to win against them. But I don’t know the exact reason for keeping me out. In the Durban match, I bowled to MS Dhoni and took his wicket. After that match, I did not get any chance to play against CSK. Team management never gave me proper reason. I don’t hate Dhoni or CSK, but I go with colour. The CSK jersey resembles the Australian team, that’s all,” he added.

Upton had mentioned in his book how Sreesanth’s behaviour worsened with time in the Royals camp. Describing the pacer’s attitude and the nexus between him Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan – all three Rajasthan Royals players were banned for fixing – Upton had written: “The reason for Sreesanth’s repeated poor behaviour, which amongst other things included blurting out in front of the team that Rahul Dravid (captain) and I (Upton) could go and f…k ourselves in response for dropping him, now made sense.”

Sreesanth, however, retaliated by saying that Upton was never respected even in the Indian dressing room. “Paddy Upton was not respected by many players in the team. He was not that big of a player,” said Sreesanth. “But I used to have good conversations with him. I really don’t know what made him write this. He should only explain the reason.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2020 10:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).