Kerala Cricket Association secretary T.C. Mathew on Sunday revealed that India pace-bowler S. Sreesanth was indeed very close to Jiju Janardanan.
“He [Jiju was] always around Sreesanth [like] a satellite. We used to see him around Sreesanth not only in Kerala but abroad also. When Sreesanth moves in the city he [Jiju] is always seen in his car. We thought, [perhaps] he is a close friend of Sreesanth,” Mr. Mathew told a news channel.
“Being a Malayali, he is eligible to play for Kerala. That’s why, maybe, Sreesanth brought him here — to help him make it to the Ranji squad,” he said.
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Janardanan was among the 11 bookmakers arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with alleged spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League matches. “We never suspected his intentions. One thing people used to know about him was that he was always around Sreesanth,” said Mr. Mathew.