Many great careers ended at 49 Tests: Prasanna

Ravichandran Ashwin is all set to play his 50th Test on Wednesday in Galle when India take on Sri Lanka in the first match of the three-game series. Currently ranked third in the list of Test bowler’s ranks, Ashwin is the No. 1 off-spinner in the world, behind left-armers Ravindra Jadeja and Rangana Herath.

The top-three will be seen in action trying to dictate the course of this series and in the process, the fight for the No.1 spot will only get hotter. At 49 Tests, Ashwin’s statistics stand impressive at – 275 wickets at more than five-and-a-half wickets per Tests, this despite going wicketless in three Tests – all in overseas Tests. While Ashwin is certain to reach this milestone, two of India Test players were stuck on 49 Tests – legendary off-spinner of the 1960s and 70s, Erapalli Prasanna and the gritty wicketkeeper of the 1980s and 90s, Kiran More.

Prasanna’s Test career stopped at 49. He may have played his 50th had he not called it a day after a forgettable tour to Pakistan in 1978 when he returned with two wickets for 251 in two Tests. But the magician with the ball that Prasanna was in his playing days had no regrets at all. “I had no such feelings,” the 77-year-old Prasanna told DNA. “The media have have a different line of thinking. That’s why they worry about 50th, 100th, 200th match and what not. Many will even cherish 49 Tests.”

How did his career stop at 49 Tests? “That’s how it was,” said Prasanna, one of the famous spin quartet in Indian cricket along with Bishan Singh Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan. “It tapered off. Not only mine, many great careers ended at 49. If you look into the statistics, many missed out on 50. I never felt whether I played 50 Tests or 100. It is an evident fact that none of us looked at 50 as a milestone, as long as we performed well and derived self satisfaction out of playing for the country.”

If at all anything, Prasanna would have loved to play his 50th Test as he would have benefited from the pension money that Board of Control for Cricket in India has been paying its retired cricketers. He would have come in the 50-74 Tests bracket, which means Rs 50,000 per month whereas now, he falls in the 25-49 Test slab, which means comparatively less. “Now I feel, had I played in 50 Tests, I’d have got more pension. It is all too late. The slabs that the BCCI has created, that is the only thing I’ve missed. Otherwise, I don’t think I missed anything. Nothing occurred to me at that point of time,” Prasanna said. Money apart, Prasanna lauded Ashwin’s progress and said he has justified his inclusion in the Indian team over the years.

“Ashwin has done a great job. As luck would have it, his career initially was on the domestic front all the time. Playing at home has helped him build his confidence solidly,” said Prasanna, who ended with 189 wickets.
For comparison sake, though they played in different eras, Ashwin took 189 Tests at the end of his 34th Test. The septuagenarian indicated at Ashwin getting the confidence by playing 15 of his first 18 Tests at home and picking up 95 wickets in them.

“He has become a good turner of the ball continuously playing at home. That was a tremendous platform to take off from. That has helped him. He has been bowling well and his statistics is reflecting his success,” Prasanna said.
Looking ahead, Prasanna said of Ashwin: “Now that he is going is going to play in Sri Lanka, which is almost similar to the conditions we have in India, he will enjoy his success. He is bowling well, has got a good platform to build his career on and has justified his inclusion.”

Prasanna also mentioned Ravindra Jadeja's bowling partnership with R Ashwin. “As luck would have it, Jadeja is supporting him. Initially, Jadeja was not very successful. And all the success has been Ashwin’s. And, whenever Jadeja has been successful, Ashwin’s success rate has come down.”

guru.krishnan@dnaindia.net