Will play cricket even if I become an MLA, says Sreesanth after being named BJP candidate for Kerala polls

Former pacer for the Indian cricket team, S Sreesanth may have donned a new hat as a politician but he claims that he will continue to play the sport which still remains close to his heart.

"Cricket is there and it is in my blood. I will still bowl those out singles at 140+. When given an opportunity, sooner or later, whenever I get it, I would love to play again. That is where I come from. And there is nothing like an MLA who has won by a lot of votes and is playing for the country," he said.

Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) had slapped life bans on Sreesanth and spinner Ankeet Chavan for allegedly being involved in the IPL spot-fixing scam in 2013. However, Sreesanth's name was cleared by a court in a match-fixing case.

He dismissed claims that joining politics might be a short cut to get back into cricket. "Being asked this a lot because a couple of great personalities are in BCCI. But I did not even think about that. The main reason is to make the change. High time we see the change. A lot of people have been promising a lot of things.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to make a foray in Kerala, the party recently announced the cricketer-turned politician's candidature from Thiruvananthapuram seat.

Reacting to the opportunity, Sreesanth said, "it is a great opportunity for me to give it back to the people. They've been really supporting me during the toughest of times. Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and every individual who has supported me so far. It is a great opportunity for me to start fresh."

On joining the BJP, Sreesanth said he chose the party as he claimed that all states in which the BJP has been ruling has developing real fast. "It has been 60 years in Kerala since it has been shifting and we still do not have an MP who has been represented Kerala. We have to win some elections now and show the path to the Keralites. The way Modiji has done it for Gujarat, I want to see Kerala growing. I have been to different parts of the world, but as we speak, Thiruvananthapuram is the same as it was. It is developing but very slowly. So once the BJP comes into power in Kerala, you will see a lot of difference here," he said.