New Delhi: It couldn't have been a better birthday gift for Delhi's left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan as he received an e-mail from the BCCI confirming that his 18-month long doping ban has been lifted and that he can resume training with his state team.
"Yesterday was my 24th birthday and a day before that I got an e-mail from BCCI. They have confirmed that my ban has been lifted. BCCI has confirmed that all my latest urine sample reports have come negative. During the ban, I was not permitted to train or use any state association facilities. Now that the ban is over, I can at least train with the Ranji team," a relieved Sangwan told PTI.
Sangwan, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPl-6, was the first Indian professional cricketer to be banned after banned substances were found in his urine sample.
One of the heroes of India U-19 team's 2008 World Cup triumph, Sangwan wants to forget the past and look ahead.
"I can tell you that it was painful time away from the game. But I had a lot of support from all quarters. During the 18 months, I got time to fix my shoulder problem as I underwent a surgery in UK. After that I concentrated in an extensive rehabilitation programme. I used to just count days when I would return to the field and devoted my time in rehab," said Sangwan, who, as a 17 year-old, took 33 wickets in Delhi's last successful Ranji Trophy campaign back in 2007-08.
The speedster, who has 123 wickets from 38 first-class games, however went on the decline despite being touted as a special talent. He is now ready to make a comeback.
"In the past few years, the shoulder problem led to some technical glitches in my bowling. I had the natural ability to bowl both in swing and outswing but I lost a lot of zip. To swing the ball, you need good shoulder along with wrist position. With my shoulder troubling me, my performance went down. Now I am hundred percent fit and waiting to get back to performing for Delhi," said Sangwan.
