But 'taint', the word that surfaced after he got implicated in the match-fixing scandal in IPL 6, is the one that is going to stick on him for life now.
The pacer got away with many off and on-the-field antics as a player. But his alleged links with bookies that even saw him land in jail will take him away from the game that, as he always claimed, has been so close to his heart.
The BCCI disciplinary committee on Friday evening called 'over' to the 30-year-old seamer's career, handing him a life ban after taking cognizance of its anti-corruption chief Ravi Sawani's report.
Growing up in Kerala, Sreesanth didn't have many to look up to from his own state as he dreamt of playing for India. So he chose to tread his own path. The bespectacled lad first made national news by taking a hat-trick for Kerala's Ranji Trophy team against Himachal Pradesh in 2004.
His performances in domestic cricket earned him a place in the Indian B team for the Challenger Trophy a year later. His first brush with controversy came in that tournament in Mohali when he dared to sledge Sachin Tendulkar, and then clean bowled him. But his performances in the tournament, where he finished as the highest-wicket taker, were noted by the selectors who picked him for ODIs against Lanka.
Sreesanth claimed two wickets on his debut in Jaipur, in October 2005, but did enough with the ball to give hints of his prodigious talent. In five months, the Kerala pacer made it to the Indian Test squad for the England series.
But more than his natural outswing and perfect seam position, what made Sreesanth remain in the limelight was his theatrics on the field. His fiery spell (5/40) set up India's first victory on South African soil in Johannesburg in December 2006. But his wild jig after clobbering Andre Nel for a six garnered more attention.
He was part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. His antics against Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Symonds, to name a few, either cost him games or resulted in a hefty deduction in his match fees. Suspension and recurring injuries meant Sreesanth always remained in and out of the Indian team.
After being out for more than a year, he returned to the national squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka in 2009. His six-wicket haul in the second Test in Kanpur prompted India skipper Dhoni to rate Sreesanth as one of the finest exponents of reverse swing.
But a year later, the same skipper publicly admonished him for maintaining a tardy over-rate and his silly behavior on the field in South Africa. Though Sreesanth made it to the team that won the 2011 World Cup, he was left out of the squad after a disastrous tour of England in July 2011.
That, in fact, turned out to be Sreesanth's last outing for the Indian team. Sreesanth's career promised so much but ended up with very little, and that too with a 'taint' that will be with him for ever.
QUANTUM OF PUNISHMENT
S Sreesanth : Banned for life after being found guilty of underperforming for a reward and ensuring the occurrence of an event during a match while knowing it is the subject of a bet. Also accused of receiving payment or gift for the possibility of bringing cricket into disrepute and failing to report an approach by bookmakers to fix a match to BCCI's anti-corruption unit.
Ankeet Chavan : Banned for life after being found guilty of underperforming for a reward and ensuring the occurrence of an event during a match while knowing it is the subject of a bet. Also accused of receiving payment or gift for the possibility of bringing cricket into disrepute.
Amit Singh: Banned for five years for soliciting other players for match-fixing in the IPL and failing to report an approach by bookmakers to fix a match to BCCI's anti-corruption unit. Also found guilty of failing to report to the BCCI about another player being approached by a bookie.
Siddharth Trivedi: Banned for one year for receiving payment or gift for the possibility of bringing cricket into disrepute and failing to report an approach by bookmakers to fix a match to the BCCI anti-corruption unit.
Harmeet Singh: Let off due to lack of evidence. Was accused of failing to report to the BCCI ACU the knowledge of another player being approached by a bookie.
Ajit Chandila: Prosecution in process. Charges: Same as those for Sreesanth.
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