A fast bowler and a gentleman

He is the unsung hero of Indian cricket. Over the last decade, reams of newsprint have been expended on some of his teammates, who also collar most of the endorsements, modeling assignments and television interviews. But if Javagal Srinath is at all bothered about this, he certainly does not show it. He continues doing just what he has over much of the last decade -­ being the pace spearhead of a country whose forte has traditionally been spin.

It is not an easy life, being a pace bowler in India. Just ask the genial giant from Bangalore. The more glamorous batsmen get almost all the credit, even if they are not doing their job as well as they should be. Among the bowlers, Anil Kumble hogs most of the headlines, as he is the torchbearer of the spin attack in a country that has produced the most fascinating varieties of slow bowlers. Bowling fast in India almost gives a person the status of a maverick. After all, who would want to waste their time and energy bowling on pitches that sound death-knells for fast bowlers? In actuality, these men should be deserving of the highest praise and appreciation in aiming to be different and trying to make up for a traditional weakness in the Indian team.

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But then, Srinath has been swimming upstream almost from the start. An engineering college student from Mysore, it was not easy for him to break into the Karnataka state side, but he did so with the application and determination that have always been his trademarks. Indeed, he made a dream Ranji Trophy debut in 1989-80 against Hyderabad - a five-wicket haul that included a hat-trick. Within two years, he was included in the Indian team that toured Australia in 1991-92 as a widely welcomed choice.

Srinath was not an immediate success in terms of figure; ten wickets in the five Tests in Australia cost him 55 runs apiece. But there was something in his performance on the tour, and in the World Cup that followed, that marked him out, in racing parlance, to be a stayer rather than a sprinter. He worked hard on his bowling and showed that he was a willing workhorse who thrived on long spells.

However, with Kapil Dev still around, even if by this time he was in his declining years, Srinath could not be certain of a place in the side. It was only after the great all-rounder retired in 1994 that Srinath was acknowledged as the pace spearhead, even being nominated by Kapil himself as his successor.

In keeping with his reputation, Srinath responded magnificently to the responsibility. He came of age, so to say, in England in 1996, where he struck up a fruitful partnership with Karnataka colleague Venkatesh Prasad. That tour worked wonders for him, and by the 1996-97 season, Srinath had become a complete fast bowler with lethal armoury. The deadly yorker and the well-disguised slower ball had now been added to the basic assets of pace and swing, line and length.

The fact that he was not one of the glamour boys in the side, placed in this respect alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, did not bother Srinath in the least. He continued go about his work with a methodical dignity. Now and then, he became the most talked-about cricketer in the land, like when he bowled India to an improbable victory over South Africa at Ahmedabad in 1996, taking six for 21. South Africa, requiring only 170 to win, were bowled out for 105. The media also struck up the band when he took the wickets of Michael Slater, Greg Blewett and Mark Waugh in the opening half-hour of the Calcutta Test in 1998 to give India a sensational start. And again, when he took 13 wickets in the Asian Test Championship match against Pakistan at Calcutta in 1999 -­ the best match-figures by an Indian new-ball bowler in history.

For a bowler of his pace, Srinath's workload has been enormous. He has so far sent down more than 13,000 deliveries in 57 Tests, bagging 216 wickets at an average of 29.52. One must also not forget that he has played 198 one-day internationals and taken 268 wickets. Little wonder, then, that Srinath has opted out of many limited-overs tournaments. As in the case of Allan Donald, it has been a good idea to rest Srinath, for he has also had his share of injuries. As India's premier new-ball bowler, none should grudge him relief from non-stop cricket.

In the last couple of years, after crossing 30, Srinath has realized the value of conserving energy. His pace has declined, but he has become much more crafty. Much thinking and planning goes into his bowling these days, as evidenced by the dismissal of Craig White in the recent Test match at Bangalore. The moment he was caught at short-leg, Srinath, in a rather expansive gesture, blew kisses to the crowd, unable to hide his delight.

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As a rule, Srinath's forte has been quiet efficiency, and he been more of the gentle executioner. While possessing many of the attributes that a good fast bowler should, he has never had the overt aggression of a a Fred Trueman or a Dennis Lillee - no scowling, curses, or teeth-gnashing. He has always had the image of a gentleman speedster; at one time, he was even a vegetarian, a rare breed among fast bowlers.

It was hoped that, with the emergence of bowlers like Venkatesh Prasad, Ajit Agarkar, Debashish Mohanty, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, some of the load would be taken off Srinath's tall and well-built frame. But still, when it comes to making the initial breakthrough, terminating a troublesome partnership in the middle, or wrapping up the tail in typical fast-bowler fashion, the team still has to depend on Srinath.

"If you have the desire, you can pick up wickets even in these conditions," Srinath said in a recent interview. Indeed, with the wicket of White in the Bangalore Test, he crossed a praise-worthy landmark -­ 100 Test scalps at home - making him only the second pace bowler after Kapil Dev to achieve the feat. On bouncy tracks in Australia and South Africa, and in green conditions in England, Srinath, even in his 33rd year, can still be a handful. Indeed, proof that he is getting better with age is seen in his average, which has come down steadily from the mid-30s to the early 30s to just under 30 now. Perhaps his best is yet to come, and that is a good augury for Indian cricket.