Venkatesh Prasad's 3 best spells for India

Former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad celebrated his 54th birthday on Saturday, August 5. Known for his bold statements related to Indian cricket on social media, Prasad represented India in 33 Test matches and 161 ODIs during his career as an international cricketer.

Prasad scalped a total of 292 wickets in international cricket. He bagged 96 wickets in 33 Tests at an average of 35. He recorded seven five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul in the longest format of the game.

He achieved more success in ODI cricket, where he accounted for 196 wickets in 161 matches. The right-arm fast bowler had a bowling average of 32.31 in the ODI format. He took four four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul in the white-ball arena.

In this listicle now, we will look back at the top three spells bowled by Venkatesh Prasad for the Indian cricket team.

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#1 Venkatesh Prasad's best ODI spell - 5/27 vs. Pakistan, ICC World Cup 1999

Venkatesh Prasad has been one of the top performers in the India vs Pakistan World Cup rivalry. Back in 1999, when the two arch-rivals met in a group stage match at Old Trafford, the Indian team scored 227/6 in 50 overs. Number three batter Rahul Dravid and skipper Mohammad Azharuddin recorded a half-century each for the Indian team.

Chasing 228 for a win, Pakistan could not build any big partnerships. Prasad and Co. wrecked the Pakistan batting lineup with their fantastic bowling performances. Javagal Srinath dismissed Shahid Afridi and Ijaz Ahmed before Pakistan's score touched 50.

Soon after, Prasad trapped Saleem Malik in front of his stumps and then dismissed Saeed Anwar caught out. Moin Khan and Inzamam-ul-Haq added 46 runs for the sixth wicket before Prasad sent Khan back to the dressing room. Wickets tumbled at one end, but Inzamam held one end for Pakistan and took the team's total past 170.

Prasad then trapped Inzamam in front of his stumps, hitting the final nail in the coffin. He completed his ODI career's maiden five-wicket haul with Wasim Akram's wicket as India recorded a 47-run victory.

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#2 Venkatesh Prasad's best Test spell - 6/33 vs. Pakistan, 1999

As mentioned earlier, Venkatesh Prasad loved to play against Pakistan. The former Indian pacer's best Test spell also came against the neighbors during a Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in 1999.

India took a slender 16-run first-innings lead. In reply, Shahid Afridi's century helped Pakistan bounce back in the second innings. It looked like India would receive a big target of more than 300 runs.

However, Prasad bagged the wickets of Afridi, Saeed Anwar, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Waqar Younis to bowl them out for 286. In just 10.2 overs, Prasad returned with figures of 6/33.

India were set a target of 271 runs to win. They got all out for 258 despite Sachin Tendulkar's century, losing the match by 12 runs.

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#3 Venkatesh Prasad's most memorable performance - 3/45 vs. Pakistan, 1996 World Cup

In the 1996 World Cup, India met Pakistan in the quarterfinals. The Men in Blue scored 287/8 in 50 overs. Chasing 288, Pakistan started brilliantly, with Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail adding 84 runs for the first wicket. Javagal Srinath broke the opening stand by dismissing Anwar.

Sohail looked dangerous in the middle as he completed his half-century at a strike rate of more than 100. He even engaged in a famous war of words with Venkatesh Prasad, which ended with him losing his stumps to the pacer eventually. Prasad also bagged the wickets of Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq to turn the game in India's favor.

India restricted Pakistan to 248/9. The 39-run win helped India secure a place in the semifinals.