Hat-trick on debut, 87 wickets in a season; India pacer’s 156 kph bullet beat Allan Donald, but speed went unrecorded

In 2026, the number of Indian pacers capable of frequently breaching the 150kph mark on the speedometer is considerable – Umran Malik, Mayank Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ashok Sharma. But the emergence of these pacers has been decades in the making. Long before the Zaheer Khan-Ashish Nehra era, when pacers began bowling consistently in the late 140s and early 150s, the revolution began in the early 1990s, when a tall, lanky pacer burst onto the scene in Australia. With just 10 wickets in five Tests Down Under, he had a quiet beginning, but as the years passed, he improved with every series. During India's 1992 tour of South Africa, his numbers improved to 12 wickets from three Tests. And by the mid-1990s, he had become frighteningly quick, to the extent that even on Indian pitches, which offered little assistance to pacers, he was a menace to visiting teams.

In a career spanning 12 years, he featured in four World Cups for India, bowing out of international cricket with 16 wickets at an average of 23 in the 2003 edition in South Africa. Twenty-three years later, he still holds the record as India's most successful fast bowler in ODIs, with 315 wickets in the format – the only Indian quick to enter the 300-wicket club. He was India’s benchmark for pace before speed became a thing. While many cricketers took to broadcasting or coaching after retirement, he smoothly transitioned into becoming one of the most successful match referees of all time. Yesterday was his 57th birthday, coming days after he was spotted taking the Bengaluru Metro.

Javagal Srinath was more than just the face of India’s fast bowling in the 1990s. Starting out as a back-up to Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar, Srinath had to wait for his opportunity. But when the two faded, ‘The Mysore Express’ bullishly took over as India’s pace spearhead, first partnering Venkatesh Prasad and eventually passing the baton to Zaheer by the time his career wound up.

Srinath announced himself for Karnataka in 1989-90 by taking a hat-trick in his very first first-class innings, en route to picking up 5/85. He began the second innings with wickets off the first two deliveries. Even though he finished with 25 wickets from six matches, once he started bowling in the India nets ahead of the tour of England, Srinath could not be ignored. Once established in the Indian Test setup, Srinath raced to 92 Test wickets in just 27 Tests. During this period, he tormented opposition batters with his pace and accuracy. A champion of inswingers and cutters, Srinath's strong shoulders and hit-the-deck approach brought him enormous success.

In 1995, Srinath scalped 87 wickets in one season for Gloucestershire. Recommended by Courtney Walsh, the pacer transformed himself during his county stint, producing career-best first-class figures of 9/76.

The years 1996 and 1997 were memorable for Srinath. In a masterclass in Ahmedabad, with India defending just 170, Srinath ripped through South Africa as India bowled them out for 105.