Sreesanth's kin does U-turn on MSD theory

Till the other day, everyone was keen to shower praises on Kerala’s ‘Sree’ in international cricket matches. But the cloud of spot-fixing looming over S Sreesanth seems to have made him an outcast, with many raising eyebrows on the fiery cricketer’s deeds.

His parents and brother maintained that Sree was innocent. “He’ll never do such a thing,” they said.

Dipu Santh said his brother, who had signed an agreement with the Rajasthan Royals for `2 crore, does not need to spot fix for `40 lakh. “I don’t think that he would part with `2 crore for just `40 lakh. Sree is innocent. Even if `40 crore is given, Sree would not stand against the country and cricket. Jiju Janardhanan is one of the friends in his circle. Sree doesn’t have the hype of a celebrity. Jiju might have misused this friendship. We will legally face the issue and take a decision after meeting Sree at Delhi,” Dipu, who was on his way to the Nedumbassery airport, told Express over phone.

When his father Santakumaran Nair heard the news of the arrest, he blamed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and spinner Harbhajan Singh for implicating his son in the scandal. He said his son was the victim of a larger conspiracy. “From the beginning he and Dhoni have been close and knew many intimate details. Dhoni is trying to take revenge against him for this. They are trying to end his career,” he said. However, after the press conference by Delhi Police, Sree’s father withdrew the comment and apologised, saying he was heavy with emotion when he spoke before.

Sreesanth’s brother-in-law and playback singer Madhu Balakrishnan said, “I’m sure this is a conspiracy. This is a revenge for his Twitter comment”

Savithri Amma, Sree’s mother, said: “I firmly believe that he will not go for money. I do not know who trapped him or how he was trapped.”