Javagal Srinath: One in a billion

[Malcolm Merlyn]

It was November 23, 1996 when Javagal Srinath ripped the heart out of the visiting South African batting line-up, taking six for 21 in the first Test. It was a world-class display of express pace and this fact was not lost on the then Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar who said: "It was one of the greatest exhibitions of fast bowling I have seen from an Indian for a long time." It is a long way back even to try and find an Indian bowler of the pace of Srinath, the 'Karnataka Express'. In a country of more than a billion people, Srinath has been a rare jewel. Perhaps the value that he held can only truly be appreciated now that he has departed the test arena. Stories have emerged of genuinely fast Indian bowlers of the past, but I was not around to see the likes of Mohammad Nissar play his six tests in the 1930s. And I don't think anyone alive could truly testify to the pace of Mehallasha Pavri back in the 1890s. Of the Indian pacers in modern times, none could seriously be considered anywhere near the pace of Srinath. Even Srinath's predecessor, Kapil Dev, was considered by astute judges as merely a medium pacer who took plenty of wickets due to his guile and lateral movement. Srinath was a genuinely fast bowler and in the period between about 1995 and March 1997 Srinath's pace was at times frightening. He was right up there with the fastest men in the game. Perhaps at times Srinath was even No 1 in the pace stakes but just how fast he was at his peak we will never know. What we do know is that following South Africa's tour of India late in 1996, India travelled to South Africa where speed guns were in operation. Between December '96 and February '97 Srinath's speeds were timed in excess of 150kph and were comparable to those of both Allan Donald and South Africa's 'new' pace sensation Lance Klusener. Whilst Klusener's fastest ball came in at 154kph and he proved at the time to be faster than Donald, it has been brought to my attention on numerous occasions that Srinath pipped them both with one particular delivery measured at 156kph. This particular delivery was reported by a major Indian News service although the exact date and the match in question has not been confirmed. Some six years on, and all three of these men now struggle to reach 140kph on a good day. In March 1997, when Srinath should have been at the peak of his powers, the rotator cuff problem which he had been carrying since September '96 flared and shoulder surgery became inevitable. Some questioned whether Srinath would ever bowl again, let alone rank along side the quickest men in the game. In 1998, Australia toured India and for the first time on Indian soil the speed guns were to be a fixture. The Indian press chose to give the speed battle between Glenn McGrath and Srinath top billing but most so-called 'experts' at the time found this to be bordering on the insane. After all, Glenn McGrath was up there with Donald as the world's fastest bowlers, and that Srinath was never anything more than a 'military medium' bowler, right? Wrong. In their first encounter with the new speed guns, Srinath clocked 148kph while McGrath, although the fastest of the rest, was a whopping seven kph behind Srinath at 141kph. At the time, many people found these figures inconceivable and chose to dismiss them in error, but with the advantage of hindsight, we understand these speeds to be correct. Later on in that series, Srinath bowled a fastest ball of 149.6kph and was not far from his top pace before the shoulder operation. Bowling speeds also received huge publicity in the lead-up to the 1999 World Cup when all eyes were on Shoaib Akhtar. The question was not 'who was the fastest' but 'who could come close to the Rawlpindi Express'? Not much was known about bowling speeds at the time and some still rated McGrath and Donald fast enough to challenge Shoaib. At the tournament's first match Srinath and McGrath went head to head once more. This time it was evident for all the world to see that Javagal Srinath was no medium pacer, but was a genuine speedster clocking up 149.6kph once again and bettering McGrath's best speed by some 9kph. Srinath proved to be the second fastest bowler of the tournament next to Shoaib (154.5kph) while surprise pacemen Geoff Allott of New Zealand (146.5kph) and Jacques Kallis (146.4kph) left the pace of McGrath and Donald looking decidedly bland. Javagal Srinath could now lay claim to being the second fastest bowler in the world. During the three years following the 1999 World Cup, Srinath's pace has waned and nowadays he struggles to exceed 140kph. It is ironic that the time which he has chosen to leave the Test arena is the time when he would have received the most help. If Srinath had been given some quality assistance in the pace department over the past 10 years then perhaps he would not have been so sorely over-used and he would still have another three or so years at 140kph left in him. His recent speeds in the mid-130s(kph) gave proof that shouldering the burden of responsibility for so long at the head of the Indian attack had finally taken its toll on his body. The current crop of Indian 'quicks' bowl at a lively pace with Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar all able to bowl above 140kph, the latter two able to crank it up to 145kph on occasion. But over the past three years, the rest of the world has gotten faster whilst India has lost it's spearhead. If the World Cup were to be held tomorrow then India would realistically not have one bowler featuring amongst the world's 10 fastest. Srinath is almost definitely the fastest bowler India has ever produced. He was a rare jewel to be treasured while at the peak of his powers and all Indian cricket fans wait with bated breath for their next 'one in a billion' express paceman to emerge. This article was posted 7 years ago on cricinfo.Unfortunateily the wait still continues. Dont know if this was posted earlier.Still thought this would refresh a few memories. http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/...appertype=print

[Mr. Wicket]

Is this Eddie Smith's article?

[Malcolm Merlyn]

Is this Eddie Smith's article?

it is the same article........

[Mr. Wicket]

OK. Can you post a link to the article (or at least the author's name) the next time you post a piece here? Always nice to read these, but good to also give credit where due. BTW, on the old ICF site Gaurang and I had co-authored another article on Srinath: http://www.cricketnetwork.co.uk/main/s119/st67157.htm

[Malcolm Merlyn]

OK. Can you post a link to the article (or at least the author's name) the next time you post a piece here? Always nice to read these, but good to also give credit where due. BTW, on the old ICF site Gaurang and I had co-authored another article on Srinath: http://www.cricketnetwork.co.uk/main/s119/st67157.htm

never was my intention to rob any one of the credit.........lnik added btw u as well as this article mention srinath clocking in 150ks in south africa.........i dont think they showed the speeds on tv.so what is the source of the speeds? i do agree that he bowled in 149.6ks in the world cup as he was the second fastest bowler there.No doubt srinath was quick.One of his quickest spell was in India againist srilankans when he hit jayasuriya and also his spells in 1999 new zealand series in india were also quick. sometimes i wish there was a software that could measure the speed of ball from old videos.theoretically it can be done by the calculating the distance travelled by the bowl before a certain point in its flight and then look at the time taken.Dont know how feasible that is. i heard he was clocked when he played county cricket...any idea regarding that.

[Sooda]

After all, Glenn McGrath was up there with Donald as the world's fastest bowlers, Really?? I thought he was never quicker than fast medium. Sri was a legend. The current lot makes you realise how good he was. Over-bowled in the mid to late 90s because of no real back up.

[ludhianvi]

Some vids of Srinath... I think I recall someone here mentioning that Srinath had some shoulder problems and he changed his action somewhat.

[ame=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkqMUixOKo8]YouTube - Javagal Srinath's fiery spell of bowling[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liBd_d3ENpc]YouTube - Javagal Srinath Vs South Africa (6-76)[/ame]

[Mr. Wicket]

Sri had serious shoulder problems. He went through some rotator cuff surgery I believe in 1997 and after that his pace was down a bit; plus he never did hit the deck as hard as he used to in his youth.

[Guest Gunner]

I remember Srinath as a fairly rapid bowler. What I also remember was how unlucky he was missing out many wickets because of wrong calls, dropped catches and ball narrowly missing the stumps et al. Srinath would have had far more wickets if he had been a bit more luckier. Him and Kumble did the trick for India throughout the 90s.

[Mr. Wicket]

re. 'balls missing the stumps' As unlucky as Srinath was, part of it was also the length he bowled - if he bowled fuller he would have gotten a lot more nicks and fewer plays and misses, not to mention threatening the stumps more.

[Guest Gunner]

re. 'balls missing the stumps' As unlucky as Srinath was, part of it was also the length he bowled - if he bowled fuller he would have gotten a lot more nicks and fewer plays and misses, not to mention threatening the stumps more.

I agree about the length. Then there were all those inside edges.

[Malcolm Merlyn]

Sri had serious shoulder problems. He went through some rotator cuff surgery I believe in 1997 and after that his pace was down a bit; plus he never did hit the deck as hard as he used to in his youth.

sri had that injury after that SA tour in 1996 when he hit 156ks in one of the matches.after that he missed the windies tour due to injury. i think after the rotator cuff tear and surgery he was still very quick.....see his footage from the 1998 australia tour and 1997 tour by SL when he hit jayasuriya also the 1999 tour by newzealand. he also clocked 149.6 ks in the world cup of 1999.....so he was quick...... seriously believe he was indias 1st and only express bowler.............will there be another one guys????

[Params7]

seriously believe he was indias 1st and only express bowler.............will there be another one guys????

I mean a billion freakin' people live in this country where cricket is a religion. We're just not looking hard enough, but when we do find them we brainwash them with fixing their length so much they forget how to bowl fast anymore.

[Guest Hiten.]

OK not to question anyone's intelligence but did Sri really hit 156kmph on regular basis ? I hardly recall him bowling a fiery spell (with THAT pace). Mind you I was at my infant level of following the game that time, so ignore my ignorance :D

[Sooda]

Not 156 on a regular basis perhaps but one off deliveries. definitely 85+ on a regular basis. His average away from home is 33, comapred to a career ave of 30 In Eng (three tests in that 96 tour) is 39- I distinctly remember him bowling v well without much luck In Aus is 50! SAf where he bowled v well is 25 (43 wkts in 8 tests)

[Mr. Wicket]

OK not to question anyone's intelligence but did Sri really hit 156kmph on regular basis ? I hardly recall him bowling a fiery spell (with THAT pace). Mind you I was at my infant level of following the game that time' date=' so ignore my ignorance :D[/quote'] Not a regular basis. It was a one-off occurence (maybe happened a couple of times), but he did hit the mid 140s with regularity.

[sangrock]

The above link didnt work - reposting the link http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/111878.html

[BeautifulGame]

Javagal Srinath: One in a billion

It was November 23, 1996 when Javagal Srinath ripped the heart out of the visiting South African batting line-up, taking six for 21 in the first Test. It was a world-class display of express pace and this fact was not lost on the then Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar who said: "It was one of the greatest exhibitions of fast bowling I have seen from an Indian for a long time." It is a long way back even to try and find an Indian bowler of the pace of Srinath, the 'Karnataka Express'. In a country of more than a billion people, Srinath has been a rare jewel. Perhaps the value that he held can only truly be appreciated now that he has departed the test arena. Stories have emerged of genuinely fast Indian bowlers of the past, but I was not around to see the likes of Mohammad Nissar play his six tests in the 1930s. And I don't think anyone alive could truly testify to the pace of Mehallasha Pavri back in the 1890s. Of the Indian pacers in modern times, none could seriously be considered anywhere near the pace of Srinath. Even Srinath's predecessor, Kapil Dev, was considered by astute judges as merely a medium pacer who took plenty of wickets due to his guile and lateral movement. Srinath was a genuinely fast bowler and in the period between about 1995 and March 1997 Srinath's pace was at times frightening. He was right up there with the fastest men in the game. Perhaps at times Srinath was even No 1 in the pace stakes but just how fast he was at his peak we will never know. What we do know is that following South Africa's tour of India late in 1996, India travelled to South Africa where speed guns were in operation. Between December '96 and February '97 Srinath's speeds were timed in excess of 150kph and were comparable to those of both Allan Donald and South Africa's 'new' pace sensation Lance Klusener. Whilst Klusener's fastest ball came in at 154kph and he proved at the time to be faster than Donald, it has been brought to my attention on numerous occasions that Srinath pipped them both with one particular delivery measured at 156kph. This particular delivery was reported by a major Indian News service although the exact date and the match in question has not been confirmed. Some six years on, and all three of these men now struggle to reach 140kph on a good day. In March 1997, when Srinath should have been at the peak of his powers, the rotator cuff problem which he had been carrying since September '96 flared and shoulder surgery became inevitable. Some questioned whether Srinath would ever bowl again, let alone rank along side the quickest men in the game. In 1998, Australia toured India and for the first time on Indian soil the speed guns were to be a fixture. The Indian press chose to give the speed battle between Glenn McGrath and Srinath top billing but most so-called 'experts' at the time found this to be bordering on the insane. After all, Glenn McGrath was up there with Donald as the world's fastest bowlers, and that Srinath was never anything more than a 'military medium' bowler, right? Wrong. In their first encounter with the new speed guns, Srinath clocked 148kph while McGrath, although the fastest of the rest, was a whopping seven kph behind Srinath at 141kph. At the time, many people found these figures inconceivable and chose to dismiss them in error, but with the advantage of hindsight, we understand these speeds to be correct. Later on in that series, Srinath bowled a fastest ball of 149.6kph and was not far from his top pace before the shoulder operation. Bowling speeds also received huge publicity in the lead-up to the 1999 World Cup when all eyes were on Shoaib Akhtar. The question was not 'who was the fastest' but 'who could come close to the Rawlpindi Express'? Not much was known about bowling speeds at the time and some still rated McGrath and Donald fast enough to challenge Shoaib. At the tournament's first match Srinath and McGrath went head to head once more. This time it was evident for all the world to see that Javagal Srinath was no medium pacer, but was a genuine speedster clocking up 149.6kph once again and bettering McGrath's best speed by some 9kph. Srinath proved to be the second fastest bowler of the tournament next to Shoaib (154.5kph) while surprise pacemen Geoff Allott of New Zealand (146.5kph) and Jacques Kallis (146.4kph) left the pace of McGrath and Donald looking decidedly bland. Javagal Srinath could now lay claim to being the second fastest bowler in the world. During the three years following the 1999 World Cup, Srinath's pace has waned and nowadays he struggles to exceed 140kph. It is ironic that the time which he has chosen to leave the Test arena is the time when he would have received the most help. If Srinath had been given some quality assistance in the pace department over the past 10 years then perhaps he would not have been so sorely over-used and he would still have another three or so years at 140kph left in him. His recent speeds in the mid-130s(kph) gave proof that shouldering the burden of responsibility for so long at the head of the Indian attack had finally taken its toll on his body. The current crop of Indian 'quicks' bowl at a lively pace with Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar all able to bowl above 140kph, the latter two able to crank it up to 145kph on occasion. But over the past three years, the rest of the world has gotten faster whilst India has lost it's spearhead. If the World Cup were to be held tomorrow then India would realistically not have one bowler featuring amongst the world's 10 fastest. Srinath is almost definitely the fastest bowler India has ever produced. He was a rare jewel to be treasured while at the peak of his powers and all Indian cricket fans wait with bated breath for their next 'one in a billion' express paceman to emerge. http://www.espncricinfo.com/wctimeline/content/story/111878.html

[Yantra]

Old story repeated here many times, I had reported on this here on one of my posts few years back

[G_B_]

technically India was not a billion population country in 1995-1997....:winky: