Javagal Srinath led the Indian pace attack for nearly a decade after the retirement of Kapil Dev. India may posses a prolific fast bowling battery across formats now, but Srinath's career was at a time when they were far more dependant on the spinners to do the job.
Srinath said that the dependance was so high that he had to often ask the captain to be given the ball.
"I'm not complaining, but that's the way the situation was. In India there were times when we used to play just one fast bowler. Sometimes we played just for the sake of playing a fast bowler. Wickets were absolute rank turners in the initial part of my career," Srinath said.
Srinath made his ODI and Test debut in October and November 1991 respectively under the captaincy of Mohammed Azharuddin and for long held the record for bowling the fastest delivery by an Indian (154.5 kmph).
Srinath had been an indispensable part of the Indian bowling front, claiming 315 wickets in ODIs and 286 wickets in Tests.
"You need to be a permanent part of the team and to be getting wickets all the time. Three spinners used to do 80 or 90 percent of the bowling, I would sometimes feel awkward like 'what is my role here'. I used to go and ask the captain to hand me the ball, at least let me be satisfied for my inclusion for XI.
"That was the case. Indian conditions suit spinners better but at the same time it puts you on a faster thinking mode. So the reverse swing came handy but I never lost hope. I understand that winning is more important," Srinath added.
Srinath was almost a lone warrior for India in the fast bowling department for much of his career before Zaheer Khan cemented his place. The situation is in stark contrast to the present era where the likes of Japrit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma are regulars for India in Tests while they also have equally capable back up fast bowlers in the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav.
Moreover, the Karnataka pacer recently revealed that he was unhappy with the way the selectors handed him a short sabbatical during the 2002 England tour.
“I think before the World Cup, we had toured the West Indies. Without my knowledge, the selectors told me I had to take a break. Generally, we used to talk and then I used to volunteer saying ‘look I need a break’. But this time they just said ‘we’re giving you a break’ and that didn’t go well with me. Obviously, I was a little upset. I didn’t want my career to be played in the hands of anybody,” Srinath told Sportskeeda.
Srinath decided to play county cricket in England, rather than accepting the offer from Dada.
“I missed the England tour. Of course, Ganguly called me and said ‘look, you better be part of the England tour’. I was upset and told him ‘No, I wouldn’t be.’ Now when I think of it, I should have played for India rather than playing County. Later when things cooled down, I decided to come back. I wanted to play the World Cup. Every World Cup is like a generation,” he added.
But, the seamer, in the twilight of his career, made his way back into the Indian team during the 2002 New Zealand tour, and then the subsequent 2003 World Cup.
In the coveted tournament, Srinath picked up 16 wickets in 11 matches and hung his boots after the finals.
His best performance came against Sri Lanka where he ended up with figures of 4/35 in 8 overs.
“My strength in India was diminishing and there were hungry fast bowlers. So, I did not want to block their way. I was happy. I did not regret anything. It’s always good to walk out with your dignity,” concluded Srinath.
