The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Venkatesh Prasad calls it a day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 23, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Venkatesh Prasad calls it a day

By K.C. Vijay Kumar

BANGALORE, MARCH 22. Venkatesh Prasad bid adieu to cricket at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue where he marked his early run-ups and also wedged in to our collective memory, castling Pakistan's Aamir Sohail in a World Cup quarterfinal in 1996.

"My affair as a cricketer is over, just as my journey as a coach is very much on," Prasad said as emotions surged on a warm Tuesday evening while Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid recounted their days with the lanky seamer.

Prasad played 33 Tests, bagging 96 wickets and in One Day Internationals, he figured in 161 matches and scalped 196 wickets. He was also a member of the Indian team at the World Cup in 1996 and 1999. He formed a potent pair with Javagal Srinath and with his talent to swing the ball and mix the odd leg-cutter and slower delivery Prasad proved a handful to batsmen.

Gentle giant

The words `Gentle giant' is often dished out in favour of Prasad but Tendulkar begged to differ. "Prasad was very aggressive and I used to tell him that if he could bowl at 150 kmph perhaps he might have broken a few helmets. But for a shoulder injury in 1997, he should have easily gone past 100 wickets in Tests," Sachin said.

Kumble was effusive in his praise and said, "Venky was an aggressive bowler and a very organised person. I remember a tour of Sri Lanka that lasted 40 days and even towards the end, Venky's room was always neat. It was a honour playing with him."

Team man

Dravid made special mention about Prasad's commitment to the team's cause. "I remember spending hours with him at the Coffee Shop in the team hotel in Chennai after we defeated Australia in the earlier Test at Kolkata made memorable by Laxman's knock. Venky did not have a great game but the way he cherished the moment showed how much he enjoyed being part of the team's cause," Dravid said.

The KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel along with Tendulkar, Kumble and Dravid wished Prasad the very best in his current stint as a coach with the National Cricket Academy and with the India under-17 and under-19 teams. Prasad, a qualified Level Three coach, will now devote his time to guide young cricketers besides perfecting his swing on the golf course. The KSCA also gifted a cheque for Rs. 8,78,000 from the state benevolent fund to Prasad.

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