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September 8, 1997
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Srinath, Prasad for stint at Melbourne academy
Prem Panicker
Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad -- India's pace spearheads ever since they came together in the one-off Test against Australia at the Pherozeshah Kotla in New Delhi last year -- will shortly head for Australia, for a stint at the famed cricket academy in Melbourne.
Their trip will be sponsored by MRF, the tyre-manufacturing giants who, among other things, also fund the MRF Pace Foundation in Madras.
The dates and timing of the trip are being worked out, and will be finalised by MRF in conjunction with the Australian academy and the two bowlers, early next week.
And behind it all is Dennis Lillee, head coach of the MRFPF. "I wanted to do something for Srinath and Prasad," says Lillee, while being driven back to the Hotel Taj Coromandel where he has been staying for the past fortnight in connection with his coaching duties. "They are our boys, when they do well we feel like we've done well, too... feel the same sense of achievement. And if there's something we can do for them, then the way I look at it is, hey mate, why not?"
And so Lillee, after meeting both Srinath and Prasad in Madras earlier this week, got in touch with the Australian academy authorities with his suggestion. MRF boss Vinu Mammen, approached by Lillee for help, agreed to sponsor the trip. "The MRFPF was (the late) Ravi Mammen's dream, brainchild; he always dreamt of producing fast bowlers for India and when I met him 10 years back (the foundation earlier this week celebrated its 10th anniversary) he told me Dennis, the day I see a boy from our academy opening the attack for India, I can die happy.
"Ravi didn't live long enough to see his dream come true, but Vinu is no less committed to the project," says Lillee. "The minute I approached him with the idea of sending Srinath and Prasad to Australia, he said sure, whatever it takes, we'll foot the bills."
And what precisely lies behind the proposal to send the two opening bowlers to Australia? In other words, what has Australia got that the MRFPF hasn't got?
"See, mate, make no mistake, the facilities at the pace foundation here are as good as they come. But Srinath's injury is peculiar. Rotatory cuff tear is not a bowling injury, it is a throwing injury, you incur it when you throw hard from the boundary line, and your throwing technique is not quite correct.
"Srinath has recovered from it pretty well, but his throwing technique remains the same. Rotatory cuff tear is not a career-threatening injury," explains the former Australian pace spearhead. "But if there
is a relapse, then Srinath might as well give up cricket and grow vegetables -- that will be it for him as a fast bowler. So a stint at the Australian academy, where we have got specialist coaches to teach the art of throwing without putting your arm out of joint, will be a good thing for him. And while he is there, he can work on strengthening his shoulder, his torso, have his diet regulated, a fitness programme drawn up... the academy can help his all round development."
And what of Prasad? Same injury, ergo, same prescription?
"No!" says Lillee emphatically. "Prasad does NOT have a rotatory cuff tear, I've been reading a lot of crap in the media here about it, that physio of yours whatsisname (which is how Lillee alludes to Ali Irani) got it all wrong. Prasad fell while practising and hit his right elbow a painful blow. And he seems to have gone right on bowling, instead of getting it properly attended to -- which has caused an inflammation of the bowling arm. He needs to rest it, get the swelling down before he begins bowling again.
"But Prasad is also a likely candidate for the injury Srinath sustained, his throwing technique is equally horrid, puts a lot of stress on his shoulders so it makes sense for him to learn the right way to do it. He is a very good seam bowler, perfect strike partner for Srinath and you want to do all you can to prolong his career. And he too, like Srinath, can work on building torso strength and all round fitness while he is in Australia, so the trip makes sense for him as well."
And how long does Lillee figure the two should be going for? "A fortnight at least -- you don't learn these things overnight."
Which means he doesn't see either of them coming back into the Indian side later this month, for the three ODIs in Pakistan? "Well, depends what your priorities are -- if you are in a rush to play three bang-bang games in Pakistan, fine, go for it. If you want a long career at the top, then it makes sense to take it easy, to be really match fit before you think of a comeback."
But Srinath, I point out, has been raring to return. And the national selectors have indicated that if he is happy with his form after turning out for Indian Airlines in a domestic competition this week, they will consider sending him to Pakistan.
"Well, that was last week," says Lillee, who met Srinath when the latter flew down last Sunday for a two-day stint at the MRFPF. "I had a quiet talk with that boy before he left for home, and I told him that if I was him, I wouldn't rush it, no, not one bit. He is a genuine fast bowler -- the fastest I've seen in India and really world class. I told him to remember that -- it is not like his place in the side is threatened. There are a dozen other quicks trying to grab his place. So he can afford to take another month, do this slow and easy.
"And I think I convinced him!" grins Lillee. "You wait and see, the trip to Australia will do him tonnes of good."
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