In 67 Test Matches, he averaged 31 (236 wickets).
Home average was 27 (108 wickets in 32 tests).
Away average was 34 (128 wickets in 35 Tests).
Averaged 20 in matches won (17), 25 in matches won abroad (4).
Won 4 MoM awards in matches India won (7 in all, 6 in India).
Second only to Kapil Dev in number of wickets taken by an Indian medium pacer/ fast bowler.
Home average was 27 (108 wickets in 32 tests).
Away average was 34 (128 wickets in 35 Tests).
Averaged 20 in matches won (17), 25 in matches won abroad (4).
Won 4 MoM awards in matches India won (7 in all, 6 in India).
Second only to Kapil Dev in number of wickets taken by an Indian medium pacer/ fast bowler.
India's fastest-ever bowler (on a consistent basis) is also one of the most under-rated cricketers in its history. In a strange quirk of fate, Javagal Srinath's first 12 Tests were played abroad (prominently Australia and South Africa). Lulled by the bounce and carry, he got into the habit of bowling short to prevent batsmen from coming on the front foot - a habit that stayed with him too long. Pitching the ball up more would have brought him far greater dividends, but to his own regret, he did not do that. He was also unfortunate to not bowl with Kapil Dev for too long in his career (as he retired before Srinath could fully established himself) and therefore could not gain from the presence of an experienced practitioner of his own trade early on. Also, right through the 1990s the Indian team lacked a third seamer (especially abroad) to take advantage of the starts Srinath often gave (later with V Prasad); in India, the pitches were much more spinner-friendly, with Kumble as the significant spearhead. Given that, his record in India is very impressive (108 wickets at 27), aided also by his accurate reverse swing. His strong shoulder action enabled quick rise from the pitch which had a lot of top-class batsmen in trouble, especially when it cut or swung in. At his best, he was fast - his quickest recorded delivery was 156 kmph (in South Africa). Oozing sincerity always, Srinath was a hard trier who in the second half of his career, with his pace and movement variations, had some moments of great success. He was also a mentor to the younger pacers right through his career - not a very common thing in Indian cricket culture (before the 2000s). In the end, he is a link between the two more memorable Indian pace bowling epochs - Kapil Dev's swing-bowling era and the age of the young Indian fast bowlers in the 2000s. Ironically, if Srinath had been in the centre of things during these two periods, he might just have been the most successful of the lot.
6 for 21 vs South Africa, Ahmedabad 1996.
| The series came at an interesting juncture in international cricket for South Africa. Having been readmitted into this level of the game only four years back, the South Africans had established themselves as a serious force in the cricketing world. The Indians were lambs abroad, but invincible lions at home. Both teams would be tested here. In the first Test, having taken a slender lead of 21 in first innings, Donald ripped India apart in the second | to earn South Africa a seemingly easy 170 run chase. With almost two days to chase the total, the Proteas had to just play some sound cricket whereas India needed an extraordinary performance from its bowlers. All eyes were on Kumble but even before the ball was handed over to him, Srinath had caused serious tremors by removing Hudson and Cullinan in the first over. South Africa 0-2. 170 seemed taller than it was a few minutes ago. South Africa | fought back and at 96 for 4, the match could have gone either way, with the momentum gradually shifting towards them. Srinath then ripped out two quick wickets again off successive balls - Richardson and Rhodes - and this was the death knell. Within 9 runs South Africa was all out. Srinath got the MoM award for his career best effort. India led the series 1-0, significant in a series that ended 2-1 for India. |
60 and 4 for 48 vs West Indies, Bombay 1994.
| It is poetically appropriate that one of Srinath's best performances came close on the heels of Kapil's retirement, with the question of who will fill his boots haunting a corner of every Indian cricket follower's mind. On a dodgy pitch, both teams faced collapses in the first innings but recovered to come close to each other, with India leading by 29. That this lead assured little success was proved immediately when the West | Indian quicks reduced India to 88 for 5. As the West Indies tightened their grip on the game, Tendulkar, Manjrekar and Kumble kept India in the hunt, bringing the score to 237 for 7. Srinath came in and in what might be seen as a cheeky joke by fate, he first proceeded to do what people would have expected of Kapil - blasted an entertaining 60 (6 fours and 1 six) runs in 72 deliveries and was last out after adding 96 runs | with Manjrekar and the tail to take India to a clear, dominant position and setting a target of 363. Then he came right out and led the bowling in the rout of a line up containing names such as Hooper, Lara, the talented young Stuart Williams and Jimmy Adams. Not surprisingly, he got a Man of the Match award for his, would you believe it, 'all-round' efforts. |
18 and 6 for 140 vs West Indies, Port of Spain 2002.
| India went into the West Indies, a place where they had seldom won a series before, knowing that they were clearly the stronger side on paper. They also went in knowing that this was as good a chance as any to start repairing their horrendous record as tourists. But they also went in knowing that they had faltered at the same odds before, for the lack of one killing blow to break the back of the opponents. Late in this match, when the game hung in balance, Srinath provided such a killing | blow. Before that, having scored 276 in the first innings, Srinath bombed the West Indian batting at regular intervals to reduce them to 180 for 6. The impact showed as West Indies' body language thereafter reflected a defensive demeanour, with the innings ending at 245. An inspired bowling performance from Dillon and Cuffy got them back into the game as they were set 313 to chase in a day and half, with Ganguly and Laxman ensuring that the total was higher than it could have been. | India's defence of this total found itself facing a moment of truth when West Indies stood at 238 for 6, the stage set for a familiar story where the batsmen carried on and scored a dramatic win for the West Indies. But Srinath ensured that there would be no letting the Windies out of jail with two quick wickets putting the match beyond doubt. In a match with many heroes and 5 days of all-round good cricket, Srinath had been the usual, silent, unsung but hugely effective warrior. |
6 for 124 vs Australia, Calcutta 1998.
| Australia came into this match trailing 0-1 in the series. This was their chance to amend the mistakes and correct the score-line. But before they could even get their thoughts straight, Srinath cleared Slater and Blewett off the score sheet in the first over to make it clear which side held the momentum. Even as they were looking to recover from this, Srinath stuck again, getting Mark Waugh out and leaving the score at 15 for 3. From then on, it was always | going to be an uphill climb, and although Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting tried to reconstruct the innings, the rest of the team had taken Srinath's cue and helped bowl Australia out for 233. The batsmen then took over and made 633, thus taking a virtually insurmountable lead of 400 runs. But Srinath was not breathing easy yet. He came back in the second innings with another vicious opening spell to leave Australia sprawling and slipping again | at 33 for 2. Recovering from these body blows was not something that even the strong Aussies could do, and India went to on win the series in the second test itself. Srinath's crucial blows that decided the fate of the match were appropriately acknowledged with the Man of the Match award, above Azhar's 163 and Kumble's 8 wickets in the match. |
13 for 132 vs Pakistan, Calcutta 1999.
| This was the best attended Test match in history - 465,000 in 5 days. After a crashing defeat in the second Test, Pakistan saw this as a new series - the first match of the Asian Test Championship, though for many it was the 3rd Test in a home series. The Pakistanis would have wanted to start afresh as they won the toss and batted. They were horrified by what followed - 26-6 in just 9 overs (Srinath had taken 4). A superb fight-back led by wicket- | keeper Moin Khan (70) saw Pakistan reach 185. India was well-placed at 147-2 at one stage, till Shoaib Akhtar decided to announce his arrival in international cricket. In two successive deliveries he bowled Dravid and Tendulkar to change the match. India collapsed for 223, and then the Pakistanis produced their third and most significant performance of the match - Saeed Anwar carried his bat through for an unbelievable 188 off 259 | balls, and Pakistan reached 316. Anwar's stunning innings overshadowed another great performance by Srinath who took 8-86. India was set 279. At 145-2, once again, India looked comfortable, till things changed dramatically. Tendulkar was controversially run out (which almost sparked off a riot) and then Dravid was dismissed four runs later. India was all out for 232 and lost by 46 runs. Srinath was joint MoM with Saeed Anwar. |
HONOURABLE MENTION:
20 and 6-45 vs New Zealand, Mohali 1999.
| Your mettle is most tested when you are surprised out of your comfort zone, says conventional wisdom. The invincible monsters at home with the proud record suddenly found themselves staring at abject humiliation against traditionally poor sub-continental tourists, New Zealand. Having slipped to 38 for 7 on the opening day of the Test, Srinath's hardworking score of 20 became the highest score in the innings and added another 45 runs to the team's total to | take India to a dismal 83 all out. The Kiwis came in to bat with their mouths watering but faced a violent counter attack by Srinath, who recorded figures of 6-45, including heavyweights Fleming (43, 156/4) and Astle (45, 179/5). New Zealand was restricted to 215 and the Indian batsmen now smelled a small opening to crawl back into the game and get back their pride. And salvage their pride they did and how. Centuries from Dravid and Tendulkar leading to a huge third | innings score (505-3) put the Kiwis in a tight spot. With more than 135 overs to go, they had 374 runs to chase. Or perhaps it may be more appropriate to say that India needed 10 wickets to win - a stunning reversal of position. The Kiwis held on (251-7) but forcing themselves into a dominant position after being all out for under 100 on day one gave the Indians the psychological advantage. Not surprisingly, they eventually won the series 1-0. |
