Venkatesh Prasad is a former Indian cricketer who was born in Bangalore, India, on August 5, 1969. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler.
His bowling partnership with Javagal Srinath was well-known. Prasad was one of India’s best bowlers, but his career was cut short due to injuries.
Debut
Prasad made his One-Day International (ODI) debut against New Zealand in 1994 and his Test debut against England in 1996. In his second test match, he took five wickets and was called to the Lord’s honours list.
He and Srinath formed the Indian new ball attack in the late 1990s, and he was a lanky pacer who could swing the ball both ways. He had the potential to bowl sluggish cutters that caused batsmen problems.
Rise to glory
Prasad’s first and only 10-wicket haul in Test cricket came against South Africa in Durban in 1996. He had a stable career for the next five years, and he was at his peak on overseas tours in seaming situations. In South Africa, England, and the West Indies, he had five wicket hauls.
His best performance came against Pakistan in the second innings on a tough pitch in Chennai in 1999, when he took 6 for 33 in the second innings.
During the quarterfinals of the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup, Pakistani batsman Aamir Sohail sledged Prasad after driving him for a boundary. Prasad shook the stumps with the next ball, sending Sohail back to the pavilion.
Retirement
In 2001, Prasad played his last Test match in Sri Lanka. After this movie, he was dropped from the team and was unable to make the Indian side. In 2005, he retired from all aspects of cricket.
In 2006, he was appointed coach of the India Under-19 cricket team, which finished second in the 2006 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup.
Following the poor result in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, he was named as the senior team’s bowling coach.