The Hindu : Sport : Srinath praises Prasad

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Thursday, Feb 14, 2008
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Srinath praises Prasad

Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE: Former Indian speedster Javagal Srinath has hailed the progress made by Indian pacers under the tutelage of his former bowling partner Venkatesh Prasad. Terming Prasad’s influence on the bowling department in general as huge, Srinath said his former Statemate, who is the bowling coach for the Men in Blue, has also made a big difference at the entry level of fast bowlers, especially rookies like Ishant Sharma.

In an informal interaction with media persons on the sidelines of a function organised by Manipal University here on Wednesday, Srinath said, “Cricket is getting harder for the fast bowlers. A few bad games in the initial part of their careers can make the bowlers lose confidence (in their ability). Apart from their good bowling, it is also Prasad’s inputs that have really helped the fast bowlers to do well in the recent past,” he noted.

On comparisons being drawn between him and Ishant Sharma on their physical attributes and bowling abilities, Srinath said, “To be honest, he looks better than me. Whatever he has done so far merits individual attention,” he said. Asked if Ishant was a better bowler than the Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee, Srinath said, “He certainly looks the best. One must not forget Irfan Pathan and R.P. Singh here,” he added.

Derives inspiration

About on-field aggression, especially those associated with Sreesanth, Srinath, known for his cool demeanour during his playing days, said, “Sreesanth is a man of energy. If you take the sting out of him, he is not the bowler that he is. He derives a lot of inspiration from the way he operates, the way he connects to people, batsman and those around him. There is nothing wrong with what he does although it may seem exaggerated,” he noted.

On his new role as an ICC match referee, Srinath said, it was a huge responsibility.

“It is giving me an opportunity to study the game at the macro and micro level. One has to understand the situation, read it and react accordingly,” he noted.

“We (match referees in the making) go as understudies in the initial part before getting independent assignment,” Srinath said when asked if they were trained for their role as match referees.

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