Ernakulam boy Sreejith is the spin doctor

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The spinner in K.R. Sreejith, a promising cricketer from the state, is indebted to quite a few gentlemen he came across during his days of struggle — from senior club mates who advised him to take spin bowling to the legendary Terry Jenner, who fine tuned the talent in him.

As a teenager he loved to bowl fast but, six years down the line the left-arm orthodox spinner is glad he slowed down. He is thankful to his state, which reached two finals, winning one early in the season.

The 24-year-old from Ernakulam almost won the final of the Buchi Babu tournament too, against Maharashtra in Chennai with his five-wicket haul. In the tourney he bagged nine wickets and had stacked his kitty with six scalps from the D.V. Subbarao Trophy at Anantapur which the state won.

“I feel a lot more confident now after the two tournaments and want to make this season a memorable one,” said Sreejith, who is exulted by his career-best performance.

“When I joined the St Albert’s College for graduation I had also registered with the Swantons Cricket Club for which the then Ranji players Sebastian Antony and Ajay Kudua played. They were the first to tell me that I must turn to spin,” reminisces Sreejith.

The transition gave him the break when he made headlines with a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick on his debut for the club in the district league.

“I must say I was lucky to be picked for a one-week camp in Chennai led by Terry Jenner, who had influenced Shane Warne. Those seven days helped me understand what it takes to be a spin bowler,” he said.

It was then a steady progress he made from the under-22 squad to the senior team. “I want to improve myself and I watch a lot of videos of Daniel Vettori, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann bowling. I turn to my seniors too for inspiration. I am more attached to Prasanth Parameswaran, he helps me fight when I am down,” he said.

With such a great start to the season, Sreejith is eyeing a spot in the south zone squad.