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Cricket Players‘Vengsarkar was annoyed, told Srinath ‘Don’t bowl bouncers’. Next ball he…’: Former India pacer reveals riveting story
A former India cricketer revealed a stunning story of how Javagal Srinath introduced himself to the Indian cricket team with a delivery that had left Dilip Vengsarkar furious.
India have always been known for producing world-class batters and outstanding spinners. It has lately been that Indian cricket have witnessed a pool of fast bowlers to select from which handed the team a massive advantage in SENA countries during Test tours. But years before this change, it was Javagal Srinath who had triggered a fast-bowling revolution in India. And former India cricketer Subroto Banerjee revealed a stunning story of how Srinath introduced himself to the Indian cricket team with a delivery that had left Dilip Vengsarkar furious.
Speaking on Epic Channel's YouTube show, 'Mid Wicket Tales With Naseeruddin Shah', Banerjee recalled when Srinath, then just a boy from Mysore, was asked to bowl at the nets by Bishen Singh Bedi as India looked to prepare for the 1990 Test series against England.
Banerjee revealed that in his very first ball, Srinath delivery a lethal bouncer that hit the handle of Vengsarkar's bat. It flew off his hands and left the batter fuming as he asked Srinath to stop bowling bouncers at a net session. Srinath listened and did not repeat the ball again. He instead delivered a toe-crushing yorker in his next ball. Smiling as he recalled the story, Banerjee admitted that he was simply astounded by the sheer pace of Srinath, something which he had never seen in any India fast bowler before.
"Bedi chucked the ball to him. He said, "Are you going to bowl?" He said, "Yes sir". That was the first time I ever saw a bowler bowl that quick in India. He bowled a bouncer. It came straight and hit the handle of Vengsarkar and the bat flew off. Vengsarkar was very annoyed because it was just net practice and he came a started bowling bouncers. He wasn't prepared because the very first ball was a bouncer. Vengsarkar told him not to bowl bouncers. Second ball he bowled a straight yorker. And it went straight and crushed his toes," he said.
Srinath did not feature in that England tour of 1990 but made his India debut a year later in Sharjah against Pakistan in an ODI game and a month later made his Test debut in Brisbane. He eventually finished his career with 236 wickets in 67 Tests and 315 wickets in 229 ODI matches.
