The former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath is celebrating his 52nd birthday today. On this occasion, netizens took to Twitter to wish the legendary fast bowler on his birthday and shared a video of a cracker of a delivery he bowled during a match against West Indies in 1991 that has now gone viral on the internet.
The video is from an India-West Indies ODI match played in 1991 at Perth when Srinath delivers a magical ball that pitches on leg stump line and drifts further away to castle the West Indian southpaw. The batsman looks in utter bewilderment after the absolute ripper of a ball from Srinath hits the stumps and knocks off the bails, sending him back to the pavilion.
Its Javagal Srinath’s birthday 🎂 and its incomplete without this absolute seed 🔥pic.twitter.com/bNlbDkAAT0
— Prithvi (@Puneite_) August 31, 2021
The video of the flawless delivery was also shared by the official Twitter account of Cricket Australia to wish the fast bowler on his birthday.
It’s that time of year again! 🎈 With Javagal Srinath celebrating his birthday today, we just have to show you one of the great ODI deliveries again, against the West Indies in 1991! pic.twitter.com/mQDVDLkpBr
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 31, 2021
ESPN Cricinfo also shared the clip of Srinath scalping the West Indian batsman with a blinder.
Celebrate Javagal Srinath’s birthday right by reliving this absolute ripper at the WACA in 1991 🔥
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 31, 2021
(via @cricketcomau )pic.twitter.com/l7zdSttbVN
Another medium fast-bowler, Venkatesh Prasad also took to Twitter to extend birthday greetings to his former teammate. Prasad shared a picture of Srinath when he had worn a turban and said that he was one of the finest genuine fast bowlers India had ever produced.
We go back more than 3 decades.
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) August 31, 2021
One the finest genuine fast bowler India has ever produced and a person with a great sense of humour.
Wishing @iamjavagal a very very happy birthday. May Prabhu bless him with a long and healthy life. pic.twitter.com/9fW59jDKpu
The Indian cricket team today has a world-beating fast bowling unit, comprising of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj. Such talent and pedigree have seldom been India’s metier in cricket. India has predominantly been a country that has produced batting legends but lacked in yielding fast-bowling heroes.
However, Javagal Srinath was the outlier who stepped up the plate and spearheaded the Indian bowling attack, becoming a pivotal part of the team in the early 90s and 2000s. Popularly known as “Mysore Express”, Srinath was the first bowler for India to take 300 ODI wickets. He took a total of 551 wickets in his tenure and still holds the joint record of being the highest wicket-taker for India in a world cup along with Zaheer Khan.
