"He is one of the best talents I have seen": Javagal Srinath on Venkatesh Prasad

Former Indian pacer Javagal Srinath heaped words of praise on the man that was once his partner while opening the bowling for India, Venkatesh Prasad. Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu, Javagal Srinath called his former teammate one of the best talents he had ever seen as a fast bowler.

“I would say (Venkatesh Prasad is) one of the best talents I have seen as a fast bowler in my era. His outswingers were fantastic. I still remember the England series, when he made his debut. He was outstanding. I think none of the English players were able to put bat on ball. He almost beat (the bat) 4 balls in an over. He got 3 or 4 five-wicket hauls, and he was unplayable. That was Prasad actually, given the conditions and the bounce he used to extract because of his height,” Javagal Srinath told us.

Venkatesh Prasad played 161 ODIs and 33 Test matches for India, picking up 96 Test wickets, and 191 ODI scalps. The lanky quick, alongside Javagal Srinath, formed the most potent fast bowling pair for both the Karnataka state team and the Indian cricket team, for the length of his career.

"He is one of the best slog-over bowlers the country has seen": Javagal Srinath on Prasad

The ICC Match Referee went on to refer to Venkatesh Prasad as one of the best slog-over bowlers that the country has ever seen, singling out his slower deliveries in particular, calling them 'unbelievable'.

“Even in the slog overs, I believe he is one the best slog-over bowlers that the country has ever seen. His delivery from the back of the arm, and the way he went about bowling those slower ones was unbelievable,” Javagal Srinath added.

In addition to his bowling partner’s abilities on the pitch, Javagal Srinath also opened up on the relationship that the two shared and continue to share off the pitch. The ‘Mysore Express’, as he is often called, cited their similar upbringings for the friendship between the two of them.

“My longest fast bowling partner was Venkatesh Prasad and we got along really well. We come from the same state, and we come from a very similar background as well. We had a good friendship as well. Even now, we’re good friends and we enjoy a laugh once in a while. So, Prasad and myself, we had a good stint for a while,” Javagal Srinath said.

Before becoming the ICC Match Referee that he is today, Javagal Srinath picked up 236 Test wickets and 315 ODI scalps in 67 Tests and 229 ODIs respectively. He, along with Prasad, made up the go-to fast bowling duo for both their state and national teams.