Happy Birthday Venkatesh Prasad: Coaching journey of former India pacer

Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, known for forming a new-ball attack with fellow Karnataka bowler Javagal Srinath turns 53 today. The lanky pacer got the ability to swing the ball both ways and became a trusted name for the Indian side in the late 1990s. With the inclusion of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra in the Men In Blue, he found it difficult to hold his place in the Indian unit and announced his retirement in 2005. But, he never went far from team India and started taking coaching assignments soon after he hung up his boots.

Early Days:

Venkatesh Prasad was appointed as the coach of the India U-19 side ahead of the 2006 U-19 World Cup. Under his guidance, the young Indian brigade went closer to the title but sadly managed to finish as the runners-up.

2007 T20 World Cup Triumph:

Venkatesh Prasad made his comeback for Team India as a coach post the Greg Chappell era in 2007. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) elected him as the bowling coach ahead of the inaugural T20 World Cup. In his first assignment as a coach, India defeated England 1-0 in the Test series which was India’s first Test series win in England after 1986. They also recorded a Test series win against New Zealand and an ODI series win against Australia. During his days, Prasad put extra attention to the new-ball pair of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.

Under him, the MS Dhoni-led side dominated the T20 World Cup campaign and lifted their maiden title. During an interview, Robin Uthappa revealed that Venkatesh Prasad used to let them play ‘bowl-out’ during the practice sessions instead of football. It turned out to be beneficial for them in the group league match against Pakistan which ended in a tie. Along with Uthappa, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh successfully took the side home.

Later Days:

Team India’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy cost Venkatesh Prasad his job in 2009.

Venkatesh Prasad also left his mark in the Indian Premier League. The pacer coached Royal Challengers Bangalore for two years from 2008. He also worked as the bowling coach of one of the successful IPL franchises, Chennai Super Kings for four years and was a part of the staff during their 2010 IPL triumph.

He was assigned as the bowling coach of Kings XI Punjab for the 2018 IPL season. Prasad again applied for the Indian bowling coach’s job in 2019 but couldn’t convince the selectors.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.