Javagal Srinath birthday: ICC recalls ex-India pacer's 4-35 vs SL in World Cup 2003; watch

Ex-India fast bowler Javagal Srinath turned 51 on Monday. Srinath is renowned as the first and only Indian fast bowler to take more than 300 ODI wickets as he ended up with 315 wickets throughout his career and the second Indian bowler to reach that milestone after Anil Kumble. At the time of his retirement, Javagal Srinath had represented India in four World Cups - 1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003 - with the final of the 2003 World Cup being his last ODI game for India. Despite not taking any wickets in the final against Australia, he was India's highest wicket-taker for the 2003 World Cup, taking 16 wickets at an average of 23.06 and an economy of 4.04.

Also read | Javagal Srinath Reveals The Reason Behind His Retirement At The Age Of 33 After 2003 WC

Srinath birthday: Sri Lanka blown away by pacer in 2003 World Cup game

To celebrate Srinath's 2003 World Cup campaign which comprised of 16 vital wickets, the International Cricket Council's official social media pages on Monday got nostalgic in showing Srinath's 4-wicket haul during India's Super Sixes match up against Sri Lanka. Batting first, India had set up a total of 292, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 97 off 120 balls.

However, Srinath made early inroads for India, derailing Sri Lanka's run chase by sending Sri Lankan opener Marvan Atapattu back to the dressing room for a duck. He also made light work of No.3 Jehan Mubarak, sending him off in a similar fashion just one ball later. Aravinda de Silva, playing in what would be his last ODI, also failed to make a single run, before Srinath sent him back lbw. 

Captain Sanath Jayasuriya was the last person to fall to his blistering attack, getting caught by Mohammed Kaif at cover. This more or less sealed the game for India, leaving Kumar Sangakkara as the sole batsman to make the majority of the runs for his side. Sri Lanka only lasted 23 of the 50 overs, decimated by Ashish Nehra's 4-35 off 7 overs and Zaheer Khan's 2-33.

Also Read | Javagal Srinath Reveals How India Could Have Won The 2003 World Cup Final Against Aussies

Javagal Srinath was declared the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell of 4-35 off 9 overs. This win propelled India to a place in the semi-finals where they played off against Kenya to go all the way to the final, which they eventually lost to Australia. 

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In Test cricket, Javagal Srinath became the second Indian to take over 200 wickets, after Kapil Dev. He is still the 9th highest Test wicket-taker for India, with a lifetime 236 wickets. He is also India's joint-highest wicket-taker in the World Cups, with 44 wickets taken over 4 WCs. On his 51st birthday, 17 years, after his retirement, the fact that Srinath still holds the record for most ODI wickets by an Indian fast bowler, is itself a tribute to the prowess of the man. 

Also Read | Hemang Badani Narrates Sachin Tendulkar's Prank That Lightened Up Javagal Srinath In 2002

Image credits: ICC Twitter