‘I don’t play for the camera, I am not scared of anything’

After he hit the the headlines during the South Africa series with an 18-wicket haul in three Tests, Sreesanth struggled with his line, length and even focus in England— recall the collision with England skipper Michael Vaughan and the beamer against Kevin Pietersen. Today, back home in Kochi after being dropped from the one-day team, Sreesanth admits that the “pressure” got to him and looks forward to prove a point during the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. Excerpts from an interview conducted over phone:

• The England tour did not go too well for you, and finally you were not picked for the one-day team. What went wrong?

They helped me get through the tough times. Special thanks to Venkatesh Prasad (bowling coach) and Robin Singh (fielding coach), too. They really worked on my bowling and fielding. In the end, I am just happy to be part of history. It was such a nice feeling to win a series in England after 21 years.

• But being dropped from the one-day team must have been difficult?

To be honest, I think my most difficult phase was when I had a hamstring injury in 2003. And then I was dropped from the Kerala Ranji side. I thought it would be difficult for me to come back.

Now I have a dream life. I take things as they come, in a positive way. I am spending time with family and working out at the gym. I am also reading a lot. I recently read APJ Abdul Kalam, I prefer autobiographies.

But yes, I am disappointed at being dropped. But my focus is to improve my game. I know I have to improve a lot in one-dayers in all departments, in terms of my skill, mental aspect, everything. I can’t say I am an accomplished player.

• You were also involved in a few on-the-field incidents, barging into Michael Vaughan, bowling a beamer...