Srinivas Venkataraghavan

Srinivas Venkataraghavan was one of the quartet of Indian spinners that played international cricket in the 1960 and 70s. An off break bowler, he played in 56 Test matches, and though his record was not as great as his friend Erapalli Prasanna, he still managed to pick 156 Test wickets. His first class career spanned almost 21 years between 1963 and 1984, and he represented Derbyshire in the English county circuit.

Venkat’s biggest problem was that he was a contemporary of such great spinners in Prasanna, Chandra and Bedi, and that is why he often had to play second – or should we say fourth – fiddle to them. However, he still managed to captain India in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, where India won only one match, against a lowly East Africa. The English media found it difficult to pronounce his name, calling him ‘Rent-a-Wagon’ instead! Soon after retirement he became the manager of the Indian team, and then, a match referee and an umpire. As an umpire, he was brilliant, standing in 73 Tests and 52 ODIs, rarely making a mistake, and deeply respected by players.

Though a little short tempered, Venkat has remained largely controversy free, due to the respect generated by his ability to do the task in the best possible manner.