The meaning of Sreesanth's sixer!

By John Cheeran
Indian fast bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth has taken eight South African wickets in the first Test at the Wanderers.
Sreesanth took five wickets for 40 in the first innings and in the second he has dismissed South African skipper Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis and there by taking India closer to the win.
Sreesanth, however, has scored only six runs, the first and second innings taken together.
The young man from Kerala was out for a duck in the first innings.
It was in the second innings that Sreesanth scored six runs.
And why should I attach any significance to six runs scored by a fast bowler when the same bowler has taken eight wickets already in the match.
Just consider this. When Sreesanth came into bat in the Indian second innings as VVS Laxman fell after making a splendid 73, by far the best innings in the Johannesburg Test, bowler Andre Nel cannot contain his rage at the tiny bomber that wrecked South Africans for 84 in their first innings.
After sending the first ball of a new over to Sreesanth, Nel uttered some nasty words at young sreesanth and the bowler was seen thumping his chest. Sreesanth did not react but just looked back at Nel and waited for his next ball.
As Nel sent down the next ball, Sreesanth moved to square leg and thumped the ball striaght back over Nel's head for a huge sixer. That was the six runs scored by Sreesanth.
And things did not end when the ball landed beyond the boundary. Sreesanth, a former disco dancer from Kerala, pranced around the wicket with twirling his bat and celebrating as if he had hit India the winning runs in the match.
That was some reply to the ferocity and nastiness of Andre Nel. Giving it back to opponents, and fiery Sreesanth always look for such opportunities.
To me that sixer by Sreesanth was the most interesting symbol of Indian cricket team's resurrection after the crucification in the one-day series and the tragedy in the Champions Trophy.
I remember that India has not won the Johannesburg Test. India still need five wickets.
But Rahul Dravid's India have redeemed themselves with a collective display that has left the nation and Indian Parliament shell shocked.