Team India’s current pace attack comprised of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav is widely regarded as one of the best in the world but that was not always the case.
Traditionally known for churning out extraordinary batsmen and ace spinners, fast bowling was never India’s strength. In the 1980s, Kapil Dev was the lone warrior in that department while Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan did the job commendably in the 1990s and 2000s respectively.
Seasoned wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who has had the privilege of keeping against all of the above mentioned fast bowlers except Kapil Dev, recently shared his thoughts on Srinath and Zaheer.
“Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath were playing, so that was a big challenge too. There isn’t much of bounce and the ball comes at a good pace.
“You have to stand slightly closer to the stumps than you stand when playing outside India. So that was something I learned, as to where to stand behind the stumps when the ball is reverse swinging,” Parthiv told Rediff.com.
The 35-year-old also drew parallels between Australian legend Glenn McGrath and Srinath.
“People talk about Glenn McGrath, but the first time I kept against Sri bhai he was right there and there about all the time and with good pace and bounce,” he said.
Parthiv donned the keeping gloves in Srinath’s last Test match which was against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in October 2002.
“Sri bhai (Srinath) was playing in his last series; he did not play any Tests after that. Even in his last series, he was getting a lot of bounce and at a very good pace. He was also very accurate,” he added.
Javagal Srinath represented India in 67 Tests and 229 ODIs from 1991 to 2003. While he claimed 236 wickets at an average of 30.49 in red-ball cricket, he took 315 scalps at 28.09 in the 50-over format.
