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Venkatesh
Prasad: The Pearl Stone of Indian Cricket |
A Tribute to
Venkatesh Prasad by Karthik Narayan
Maharashtra and Karnataka have been the
conveyor belt for producing players to play for
India in the last decade or so; most of the
players have come from there to represent the
game at the highest level. Bapu Krishnarao
Venkatesh Prasad is one amongst many of those
rolled in from that belt. Enchanting were those
days in Indian cricket in the Nineties when the
older generation gave way to a fine set of new
stars for the world. And the endeavor at
enabling a smooth steady flow of new blood into
the stream of things did wonders for the world
of cricket.
This tall young lad from Bangalore was as
crisp as they come when he took the field
sporting Indian colors for the first time in
1993-94 when India toured New Zealand. Prasad
always evinced a quality of endurance and
everlasting enthusiasm that was evident and
effervescent to everybody. Ready to take on the
challenge of a new plunge, he showed immaculate
prowess and talent in his very first test match
against England at Birmingham in 1996 under the
captaincy of Mohammed Azharuddin. He had a good
debut picking up 6 wickets in the match.
For Karnataka, Prasad has played 123 first
class games and he has a massive 391 wickets –
rather unlucky; 9 more wickets would have been a
nice landmark. Prasad has also been very unlucky
to miss two significant landmarks in his
international career – he has 96 test wickets
and 196 ODI wickets. His best bowling was 6-33
against Pakistan at Chennai in 1998-99,
including a devastating spell in the innings of
5-0!
Along with his state-mate Javagal Srinath,
Prasad made up a frontline top class bowling
pair with the new ball capable of running
through any side. Prasad always had put in
workhorse efforts many a time in the slow low
sub continent pitches – but he never gave up the
fight at any time. Prasad’s strength was the
line and length he maintained throughout his
spells, his weapons were the slower delivery
which usually came off the back of the hand and
the leg cutter which was rarely seen in Indian
cricket after the exit of Kapil Dev.
Cricket enthusiasts will never forget Prasad
for his fearsome battle of sorts with the former
Pakistani Skipper Aamir Sohail in the 1996 World
Cup Quarterfinal at Bangalore. When Aamir Sohail
hit him for a four and directed Prasad to “go
fetch the ball”, Prasad had his own version of
the catchphrase when he evicted the stumps the
very next ball to send Sohail packing his bags.
Indian cricket has always been measured in
generations or eras – the era of the nineties
belonged wholly to Prasad and Srinath for their
superhuman efforts of handling the Indian new
ball bowling. And Prasad was one man whose
talent saw him make it long term into the team
and serve the causes of the team. Prasad always
kept it tight, and did not get overawed by the
situation and pressure at any time whenever he
played for his team.
His batting at No.11 was never any great
flourish – he was a typical tailender, living
dangerously. Swishing and fiddling with the bat
now and then – the odd surprise came when he
swooped Waqar Younis for 2 sixers in an ODI.
Always an enigma why the Indian selectors did
not play this tall lanky fellow in the team for
long after 2001, but then time consumes the mind
and the man.
Prasad walked in when Indian cricket was in a
transition stage, with the older generation of
the medium pacers Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar
were in the evening of their careers. And Prasad
sadly, had to walk out when the next generation
of the Zaheer Khans and the Irfan Pathans came
into Indian cricket.
He did have some problems with overburdening
his shoulder and bearing all the burden of
bowling down innumerable overs on tracks that
offered very little help. His shoulder problems
gave India enough headaches and the team missed
him badly – India struggled for replacements for
him and Srinath at one stage. It was his line
and length that has helped him all the way in
his career. Prasad was always a simple player
who did his job without expecting any great
rewards – the happiness of winning matches was
all that mattered. And the satisfaction shall
remain in his face and heart that he has given
whichever team he played for his best.
Now that he has hanged up his bowling boots,
time has flown and it is time to put all the
gloom of not playing and look ahead of his new
role in the world of cricket. Prasad has always
been a candidate for outstanding commitment – it
is time for people to realize that he has been a
great servant of Indian cricket. Indeed India
was in good hands when Prasad was in the team
and the talk of Indian bowlers earning respect
in the international arena developed in his
genre.
His latest roles as cricket commentator and
bowling coach for India Under 19 (and maybe even
the national side) may very well suit him and
help him share his experiences with the
youngsters. We at Cricketfundas.com wish this
evergreen cricketer all the very best with his
ventures ahead.
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