Venkatesh Prasad

Venkatesh Prasad Biography

Venkatesh Prasad is a former Indian cricketer, born on 5 August, 1969 at Bangalore, India. He was a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a right-handed batsman.

He was known for his bowling combination with Javagal Srinath. One of the fastest bowlers India had, Prasad had a short career and struggled with injuries.

Debut

Prasad made his ODI debut in 1994 against New Zealand and Test debut against England in 1996. He took a five wicket haul in his second test match and had his name on Lord’s honours board.

A lanky pacer, who could swing the ball both ways, he formed the Indian new ball attack along with Srinath in the late 1990s. He had the ability to bowl slow cutters which troubled the batsmen.

Rise to glory

In 1996, Prasad recorded his first and only 10-wicket haul in Test cricket against South Africa at Durban. He had a steady career for the next five years and performed best under seaming conditions on foreign tours. He had five wicket hauls in South Africa, England and West Indies.

His best performance came in a difficult pitch at Chennai in 1999, where he picked 6 for 33 in the 2nd innings against Pakistan.

Prasad’s most notorious moment in his career came during the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup quarter finals, when Pakistani batsman Aamir Sohail sledged Prasad after hitting him for a boundary. The very next ball, Prasad rattled the stumps and sent Sohail back to the pavilion.

Low points

Injuries and dip in form in the 2000-01 season saw Prasad lose his place from the national team, after which he found it difficult to make his way back.

Retirement

Prasad played his final Test match in Sri Lanka in 2001. He was dropped from the team after this series and he couldn’t make it to the Indian team. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2005.

He was made the coach of the India Under-19 cricket team in 2006 and that team finished as the runners-up in the 2006 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup.

He was then appointed as senior team’s bowling coach after the disappointing performance in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.