Former Indian cricketer Javagal Srinath is known for his fast bowling. Srinath was born on August 31, 1969, in the Mysore district of Karnataka. He graduated from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) in Mysore with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Instrumentation Technology.
Javagal Srinath, along with Karnataka teammate Venkatesh Prasad, was the spearhead of India’s pace attack during his prime. He is currently employed by the International Cricket Council as a Match Referee.
International Debut
Srinath was named to the Indian cricket team for the tour of Australia in late 1991. He took 3/59 in his Test debut against Australia in Brisbane, bowling as the third pace bowler.
He ended the tour with a total of 10 wickets at a 55.30 average. He was offered the chance to bowl first in a match against South Africa in Cape Town, where he took 4/33 in 27 overs. Srinath finished the tour with 12 wickets at a strike rate of 26.08.
However, owing to India’s spin-friendly wickets, he was forced to watch seven consecutive home Tests from the bench, as India only fielded two pacemen.
Rise To Glory
Srinath played his first home Test against the West Indies since Kapil Dev retired in 1994. He was named Man of the Match after taking five wickets and scoring 60 runs in the second innings as India won by 96 runs.
Srinath was India’s fastest bowler ever, with deliveries of 149.6 km/h and 157 km/h in a game between India and Zimbabwe in Paarl on January 27, 1997.
Club Career
Srinath joined Gloucestershire and took 87 wickets in his single season with the club, including 9/76 against Glamorgan. He has also represented Leicestershire and Durham in English county cricket.
Achievements
Srinath is the first Indian bowler to reach the 300-wicket mark in one-day internationals. With 315 wickets, he is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals.
He took 44 wickets in all four editions of the Cricket World Cups he appeared in, and he and Zaheer Khan are India’s joint-highest wicket-takers in World Cups.
Retirement
Srinath’s last test match was against the West Indies in Kolkata’s Eden Garden in 2002. Srinath was unable to take any wickets, and the match ended in a tie.
His last ODI was against Australia in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup finals. Both Srinath and India suffered in the finals, with Srinath conceding 87 runs in 10 overs without taking a wicket, and India losing by 125 runs.
Background
Srinath debuted for Karnataka in 1989 after a state selector saw him playing in a club match. In his first match against Hyderabad, Srinath took a hatrick in the first innings.
He had 25 wickets in six matches at the end of the season, and he had another 20 the next season. Srinath has taken over 500 first-class wickets.