Erapalli Prasanna

Pras was like a chess player in the guise of an offspinner: his victims had often been out-thought before the ball had been delivered. A bowler who had complete mastery over flight, he was difficult to play even on good pitches. Many a bat was lured to his doom, lunging out to hit the half-volley, only to find it pitching a foot shorter than expected. His arm ball was a floater that drifted, and occasionally wobbled, in the air. After playing a few Tests in 1961-62, Pras decided to finish his undergraduate studies, and was absent from the Test scene for five years. Returning in 1967, he promptly became Pataudi's favourite weapon. In the early '70s, zonal and team politics often led to him being dropped in favour of Venkataraghavan. He retired in 1978, after a tour to Pakistan which also led to the demise of Bedi and Chandrasekhar. He twice led Karnataka to the Ranji Trophy, the first time ending Bombay's 15-year hegemony. Widely respected and feared in domestic cricket as well, he enjoyed bowling to bats that were willing to try and hit him. A bowler with an attacking mindset, he was also patient, and would bait a bat for over after over, trying to induce a mistake. Prasanna went on to join the ICL in 2007 as a match referee, but took the amnesty offer from the BCCI by snapping ties with the unsanctioned league in 2009.
Uday Rajan June 2009