S Sreesanth has become a household name in Kerala, the state more renowned for producing great track and field athletes over the years.
As India prepared to play England in the fourth One-Day International in Kochi on Thursday, the 23-year-old pacer from Ernakulam admitted that "he is just starting to feel that extra pressure of playing in front of his home crowd".
"It feels great. I am really thrilled right now. It will be an important match for me tomorrow, as all the Malayalis will be watching me with great interest," he told rediff.com on Wednesday.
Sreesanth is only the second player from Kerala to play international cricket, and it comes as no surprise that he is already a huge hit despite getting his India cap only last October.
"What I have done till now is history. All the wickets that I have taken in all the previous matches will be forgotten. But what I will do tomorrow will be important for my well-being in Kerala," he joked.
"But it is a great feeling, and let's hope that we can wrap up the series by making it 4-0 tomorrow," he added.
The Nehru stadium in Kochi, also used for football matches, holds fond memories for Sreesanth. It was the venue that he made his debut in first class cricket.
"I took a wicket with the third ball of my first over in that match. I hope I can do it again tomorrow," he said.
He thanked his parents, coaches, friends and everyone who supported him in his formative years.
"This is the first time that they will be watching me play. So this again puts some more pressure on me. But there is always pressure in international cricket; you just need to focus and concentrate on your game.
"All my family, relatives, friends will be cheering for me tomorrow. There will be around 150 of them, which includes a couple of them who have come down from the United States. They had come here to attend some family function," he said.
"This is the moment that they were waiting for. They always wanted me to do well in cricket and I hope I can put in a good performance for all of them," Sreesanth added.
Sreesanth's showing hasn't been good in the ongoing one-day series. He claimed only three wickets in two matches, while giving away 79 runs at 6.67 per over, before being dropped for the third one-dayer in Goa.
For now though he is hoping that 'home' support will inspire him to a match-winning performance on the morrow.
