Fast bowler Javagal Srinath announced his retirement from international cricket today after a career that lasted 13 years.
Srinath will not be part of the team that departs for a gruelling four-Test tour of Australia later this month. And the chances of him making a comeback this time are, in his words, non-existent.
"I will miss the game," said Srinath, who made his debut against Australia at Brisbane in 1991 as a gangly 22 year-old. "The game is bigger than everything. I really will miss the game."
As a bowler, Srinath was India's spearhead at a time when India did not have more than a couple of pace bowlers. Alone he toiled, bowling India to some memorable victories. But the modest player maintains that "playing for India is a privilege; not a profession".
India's rivalry with Pakistan is the stuff of legend and there are few who have played in all of India's World Cup matches against their arch-rivals. Srinath is one of those lucky few who never lost to Pakistan in the World Cup. "Beating Pakistan in all our World Cup encounters," he said, "remains the high point of my career."
After the disappointment of the defeat against Australia in the 2003 World Cup final, Srinath had hinted at retirement because of a dodgy knee that prevented him from bowling at his best. "I needed to be very responsible and decide whether I could remain fit for the entire tour of Australia," he explained. "But I realised I would not be able to do that."
Srinath admitted that he did not find it "easy to put all the cricket I have played behind me and think of the future". But he leaves at a time when India's fast bowling stable is in a healthy state. There's no doubt that his experience will be missed when the team goes to Australia, and Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar would have done well to absorb all that they could from this veteran of 67 Tests and 229 Limited Overs Internationals, in which he claimed 236 and 315 wickets, respectively.
Looking back on his 13 years in international cricket, Srinath said: "I have had fantastic relationships with all the players; never had any differences with anyone and in a career that had a lot of highs and lows, I think that was my legacy: to forgive and forget. Even when we had differences, they were forgotten once they happened. We have to make the best of what we have.
"Nobody in Indian cricket is indispensable. Players come and go; there will always be someone to take their place."
There is little doubt that Srinath commands a lot of respect from both players and administrators. Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, has said that Srinath will assist the team in the role of a fast bowling coach.
"I do not know about that," said Srinath. "I may go ahead with it, but at this point I am still contemplating what the future might hold."
