Sreesanth's loss is Vinay Kumar's gain

CHENNAI: Sreesanth's ringtone says "I believe I can fly". But his performances of late haven't been upto the scratch and the Kerala paceman is now out of the Indian ODI side. R Vinay Kumar, on the other hand, has nothing of the flash and flair of Sreesanth. The hardworking Karnataka player, now an integral part of the Kochi Tuskers team, goes on performing day-in-day-out and despite bowling at a pace of 130, has worked his way back in the Indian One-Day side.

While Sreesanth has found himself in the middle of controversies even in this IPL, Vinay has just got on with his job. The Kerala player has lost his place in the team, too, once in a while, but the Kochi management has probably understood that it is something they have to live with. "We always wanted him to express himself. He is at his best when he expresses himself in his own way," Kochi's stand-in skipper Parthiv Patel said on Wednesday.

But one thing he didn't say is that Sree hasn't delivered what was expected of him. Vinay on the other hand, has been right on the money. "I do not try to do too many extravagant things... I always look to stick to my basics and I think that is paying the dividends," Vinay Kumar told the TOI on the sidelines of a Kochi practice session.

Vinay Kumar and Sreesanth are different people, both in terms of attitude and bowling styles. While Vinay works on subtle variations, swing and change of pace, Sreesanth is more of an attacking bowler who looks to experiment. That works for him on occasions, but in ODIs it goes against him too.

The World Cup final was a prime example when Dhoni played him ahead of R Ashwin, but the paceman disappointed. But Kochi's stand-in captain indicated that he is determined to get his rhythm back. "He is working hard at the gym. We all believe he can get back into the Indian team," Parthiv said.

Vinay Kumar, on the other hand, is looking to cement his place in the Indian team. "It was disappointing to miss out. But I had given a decent account of myself in the games that I have played. So I felt I can come back," he said.

toi