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'I love it when somebody says I can't do something'
When S Sreesanth is playing, there has to be some drama.
As he bowled to Ian Bell, the second ball of his seventh over to be precise, the batsman's shot fell just in front of him. What followed was a mock-appeal.
All knew Sreesanth had not caught it.
However, the bowler indulged in some theatrics. The umpire was asked the question and so was his captain (MS Dhoni). Both seemed uninterested.
As Sreesanth walked to long leg to his fielding position there were boos from the crowd. The crowd's reaction had been a case before the incident and it continued.
However, if the bowler is to be believed, it spurred him on.
"Most of the time it does and the same thing happened today," said Sreesanth, before proceeding to explain.
"I love it when somebody says I can't do something," he continued, adding, "I end up doing my very best.
"It's better to leave me alone." (Anyone reading this gets the point.)
'At the end of the day I had the last laugh'
As for the bowler himself, suffice to say, he had a productive day on the opening day of the second Test at Trent Bridge.
Having accounted for Jonathan Trott (4) with his fourth delivery (caught by VVS Laxman at second slip), Sree had a nice little contest with Kevin Pietersen.
The batsman hit him for a couple of exquisite boundaries -- off the bouncers hurled at him -- before the bowler had his revenge in his sixth over (fifth ball). The first after lunch, he had KP caught by Suresh Raina at third slip.
"He (KP) is not very comfortable with bouncers," reasoned Sreesanth, about his initial strategy.
"So it was part of the plan. One was a slow bouncer and the other was a faster one. Both of them went for boundaries.
"But it was nice to get him out. At the end of the day I had the last laugh," said Sreesanth.
He went on to dismiss Matt Prior (1) and end with impressive figures of three for 77, as England were skittled out for 221. This after having to fill the big bots of India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan -- out of the match with a hamstring injury.
'It was a typical English wicket and I had fun'
"Unfortunately, we missed Zaheerbhai, but I was lucky to come in his place and do the job for the team," said Sreesanth.
"It's not difficult to bowl," he continued, adding, "I enjoyed bowling on this wicket and felt like taking it wherever I go.
"It was a typical English wicket and I had fun."
Asked if he did anything different on the day, he replied in the negative.
"I didn't do anything different," he said, before proceeding to mention the reason for his success.
"I just kept it simple. The wicket was doing it anyways. It was just a matter of hitting the seam and I was able to do it consistently."
With England having recovered from 124 for eight to post 221 eventually, the match is still open, a 73-run stand between Stuart Broad (64) and Graeme Swann (28) for the ninth wicket being the reason for the same.
"We knew there would be one partnership," admitted Sreesanth, adding, "Broad took chances and now the match will be competitive.
"Had England got out for 130-135, it would have been one-sided.
"It is good that England is fighting. Now it will be a good game."