India might now be possessing one of the best fast bowling arsenal in the world, comparable to that of Australia and England in terms of skills, ability, and even pace. The likes of Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav have made India more powerful than ever.

Add Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, and a couple of more names that have emerged from IPL and Ranji Trophy, and India is sitting on a goldmine of fast bowlers.

However, earlier the things were not the same as before the 1990s, India could claim to have just two-three proper fast bowlers and two of those Mohammad Nissar and Amar Singh played in the 1930s, while Kapil Dev debuted in 1978. This means spin ruled the roost for almost 40 years for India with even Sunil Gavaskar opening the bowling for India.

"Unconventional and fiercely proud"; VVS Laxman shares Ganguly's infamous Lord's balcony photo

However, one fast bowler emerged in the late 1980s and made his India debut in 1991, which revolutionized the Indian pace bowling scene was Javagal Srinath from Karnataka. This is the opinion of former India batsman VVS Laxman, who played a lot with Srinath for India in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Known as the Mysore Express, Srinath was a genuine quick bowler capable of hitting speeds of 150kmph easily. “A tearaway fast bowler from a relative cricketing outpost of Mysore, he triggered a revolution in Indian pace bowling. Even in most unhelpful conditions, he always responded to the team’s needs with unflinching zeal. Sri’s strength was his hunger to perform under adverse conditions,” tweeted Laxman.

Srinath played 67 Tests and 229 ODIs for India in which he scalped 236 and 315 wickets respectively. He retired from cricket after the 2003 World Cup after helping India reach the finals and is currently an ICC match referee.