‘Karte sab hai’ - Praveen Kumar makes huge claim regarding Team India stars when asked about drinking

Former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar recently shook the cricket world to its core after shocking claims from back in his playing days. It is well known that the early 2000s were quite an interesting and controversial time for Indian cricket. The international side was filled to the brim with cricketers from small cities and towns.

However, despite their background, the players from the minority areas made it big, and Praveen Kumar remains one of the biggest examples of such players. Hailing from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Praveen Kumar made a big impression in international cricket and even in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Playing for India in six Tests, 68 ODIs, and 10 T20Is, Praveen Kumar’s career took a wrong turn after many opined that he had issues off the field. There were several reports that Kumar had drinking issues; however, the former pacer recently came forward to talk about the same image that was built.

He revealed that the senior Indian players told him that everyone drinks alcohol, but due to their images being affected, they kept it a secret.

"When I was in the Indian team, seniors said 'drink nahi karna, yeh nahi karna, woh nahi karna' (Don's drink, don't do this, don't do that). The senior players said. Karte sab hai. Lekin wahi baat hai na ki badnaam kar dete hai 'PK toh drink karta hai'. Sab peete hai (Everybody does it but they tarnished me saying I drink)," Praveen Kumar said in a video on The Lallantop YouTube channel.

Those who know me personally, they know how I am: Kumar

The former pacer was also asked whether it was the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly who gave him that advice, but the 37-year-old refused to take any names on camera.

"Nahi. Naam nahi lena chahta camera pe. Pata sabko hai kisne PK badnaam hai. (I don't want to take the person's name. Everybody knows him) Those who know me personally, they know How I am. A bad image of me has been created,” he said.