Tall fast bowlers who played Tests for India, some played ‘long innings’

New Delhi. After the Test series against Pakistan, the name of 6 feet 3 inch Bangladeshi fast bowler Nahid Rana is in the news. Although 21-year-old Rana took only 6 wickets in two Tests of the series at an average of 39.50, he/she impressed a lot with his/her speed. This tall pacer is capable of bowling at a constant speed of 145 KM/H. It is believed that Rana can prove to be the X factor in the two-Test series between India and Bangladesh. Along with speed, Nahid also manages to get bounce due to his/her height. Nahid’s emergence in Bangladeshi cricket is a good sign. Fast bowling has always been a weak link for the Bangladeshi team that consistently produces good spinners, in such a situation, the pairing of a ‘genuine’ fast bowler like Taskin Ahmed with Nahid can become a threat for the opposition teams.

During the first net session of the Test series, the focus of the Indian team management was on neutralizing the ‘Nahid effect’. For this, 6 feet 5 inches tall fast bowler Gurnoor Brar from Punjab was specially called where the Indian batsmen practiced intensely on his/her bowling. It will be interesting to see how successful Nahid Rana is against India. Like Nahid, some tall fast bowlers have played for the Indian team but except Ishant Sharma and Javagal Srinath, none of them could prove to be a ‘long-distance runner’. After playing a few matches, they disappeared from the international scene.

Sehwag-Gilli and Head, famous for their stormy batting, all three have a special record of 0

Let’s take a look at the tall fast bowlers who played for Team India.

6 feet 5 inch tall Kuruvilla could play only 10 tests

Born in Kerala but representing Mumbai in domestic cricket, Abey Kuruvilla was such an unfortunate bowler who did not get a chance to play for India in his/her prime. The speed of the balls of 6 feet 5 inches Kuruvilla was not very high but due to his/her height, he/she was able to get bounce. Born in 1968, Abey made his/her debut in first class cricket at the age of 22 but got a chance to debut in international cricket only at the age of 29. Kuruvilla, who was very weak in fielding, played 10 Tests and the same number of ODIs for India. he/she took only 25 wickets (best 5/68) in Tests at an average of 35.68 and 25 wickets in ODIs at an average of 35.60. The international career of this tall bowler, which started in March 1997, came to an end in December 1997 itself. Although Kuruvilla could not play long innings in international cricket, he/she took 290 wickets in 82 first class matches at an average of 27.26 and 70 wickets in 63 List A matches. After retiring from cricket, he/she has also served as a selector.

Tall Pankaj was rated very highly but…
Pankaj Singh, who is about 6 feet 5 inches tall, was once much talked about among Indian fast bowlers but he/she failed in international cricket. Born in UP, Pankaj played domestic cricket for Rajasthan. Like Kuruvilla, Pankaj’s balls did not have much speed but they used to get bounce. In June 2010, at the age of 25, Pankaj made his/her international debut by playing ODI against Sri Lanka but could not take any wicket. In July-August 2014, he/she also played two Tests in Team India’s tour of England but could take only 2 wickets. After this poor performance, he/she did not get a chance to play for the country again. However, he/she has 472 wickets (best 8/72) in 117 first class matches at an average of 23.76 and 118 wickets in 79 List A matches at an average of 26.99. he/she also played an important role in helping Rajasthan win the Ranji Trophy title in 2010 and 2011. he/she also played for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. In 2021, Pankaj retired from all formats of cricket.

The batsman who scored centuries in the 98th, 99th and 100th Tests, scored 180+ runs all three times

‘Lambu’ proved to be a long race horse

If any tall fast bowler has proved to be a long race horse for Indian cricket, then it is Ishant Sharma. 36-year-old Ishant Sharma may not be a part of the Indian cricket team at the moment, but he/she has a long ‘aura’ as a test bowler. Delhi’s Ishant made his/her international debut at the age of just 19 and became a cause of trouble for famous batsmen with his/her speed and bounce. The memory of Ishant’s deadly spell on Ricky Ponting in the Perth Test of the Indian team’s Australia tour in 2007-08 will still be fresh in the minds of cricket lovers. During this time, Ponting was seen in trouble on almost every ball of Ishant and later became the victim of this fast bowler. Ishant, who is about 6 feet 4 inches tall, is popular among fellow players as Lambu. Ishant, India’s second most successful fast bowler in the Test format after Kapil Dev (434) and Zaheer Khan (311 wickets in 92 Tests), has so far taken 311 wickets in 105 Tests. This right-arm fast bowler from Delhi has 115 wickets in 80 ODIs and 8 wickets in 14 T20Is.

‘Shri’ is equally successful in both Test and ODI

of Karnataka Javagal Srinath (Javagal Srinath) is considered one of the fastest bowlers to have played for the country. Srinath from Karnataka, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, was equally successful in both Test and ODI formats. Due to his/her high arm action, he/she was also able to get a lot of bounce. he/she took 236 wickets (best 8/86) in 67 Tests at an average of 30.49 and 315 wickets (five wickets in an innings twice) in 229 ODIs at an average of 28.08.

Venkatesh was known as a smart bowler

Srinath beat a man of his/her own stature venkatesh prasad (Venkatesh Prasad) opened the Indian fast bowling in many matches. Venkatesh had the image of a smart bowler. ‘Venky’ may not have had the speed of ‘Shri’ in his/her balls but he/she was an expert in throwing leg cutter and slower balls. Venkatesh, who played international cricket from 1994 to 2001, took 96 wickets in 33 Tests and 196 wickets in 161 ODIs. Venkatesh (5/27) played an important role in the victory of the Indian team in the match against arch-rival Pakistan in the World Cup 1999, which was held during the Kargil War. In this match, he/she took the wickets of Saeed Anwar, Salim Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Moin Khan and Wasim Akram and was the Player of the Match.

3 cricketers with the same surname, all three pacers, played only 1 Test despite a brilliant debut

Apart from these bowlers, Lakshmipati Balaji, 6 feet 2 inches tall, VRV Singh and Kapil Dev, who are about 6 feet tall, also served Indian cricket as fast bowlers. However, the world’s tallest cricketer has been Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan. Irfan, who is 7 feet 1 inch tall, played 4 Tests, 60 ODIs and 22 T20Is for Pakistan between 2010 and 2019 as a left-arm fast bowler.

tag: Indian Cricket Team, Indian cricketer, Ishant Sharma, Team India