Behind every cricketer’s comeback story, there’s often someone who never let them give up. For former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth, that person was his wife, Bhuvneshwari.
Sreesanth was once one of India’s most exciting pacers, part of the squads that won the inaugural ICC World Cup T20 in 2007 and the 2011 ODI World Cup. But in May 2013, his career came to a sudden halt when he, along with fellow cricketers Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, was arrested over spot-fixing allegations during the IPL. Their team at the time, Rajasthan Royals, immediately suspended their contracts and reported the matter to the police. The BCCI handed Sreesanth a lifetime ban, which was lifted years later, allowing him to return to the sport before he finally retired in March 2022.
In a recent interview, Sreesanth opened up about his journey with Bhuvneshwari and how their relationship developed over the years, through some unusual circumstances. He shared that they first crossed paths when he visited her school as a guest and ran into her again the very next day at a cricket ground. Years passed before their third meeting in 2010, which took place by a pool with her uncle and security present. Their fourth meeting happened in Indore, and the fifth, one he called especially memorable, was their roka ceremony, which took place while he was out on bail during the scandal.
Sreesanth didn’t hold back about how tough that period really was. He admitted that thoughts of ending his life crossed his mind while he was in jail but he held on because of a promise he’d made to Bhuvneshwari back in 2010, that he would marry her if India won the 2011 World Cup.
He also expressed deep gratitude toward her family for sticking with him and going ahead with the wedding despite everything he was going through. Sreesanth recalled meeting her when she was still in the 10th grade, and how they stayed connected over the following years. In 2012, he underwent a toe surgery that left him in a wheelchair and doctors warned him there was a 17 percent chance the nerve-related procedure could leave him paralysed, as he was also dealing with bone marrow edema at the time. Worried about his future, he had told her mother he wasn’t ready to marry since he didn’t know if he’d ever play cricket again but her family chose to move forward with the marriage anyway.
Looking back, Sreesanth credits Bhuvneshwari as one of the biggest reasons he was able to get bail and rebuild his life after the scandal.
