5 lesser known fast bowlers who have represented India

India has never been too popular when it comes to producing quality fast bowlers. This is proved by the fact that we have only had a limited number of really good pacers over the years, the prominent ones being Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan.Over the past couple of decades, several fast bowlers got an opportunity to play for India. Some hung around for a while but eventually faded away, while some made blink-and-you-miss appearances which may be difficult to remember unless you have followed the game very closely for years.Here are 5 lesser known fast bowlers who have represented India:

#5 Tinu Yohannan

Tinu Yohannan had a short outing as an Indian Test bowler

A second generation sportsman and a product of the MRF Pace Academy, Tinu Yohannan is one of the lesser known pace bowlers to have represented India. On his ODI debut against West Indies in May 2002, the pacer picked up 3 wickets for 33 and helped fashion a comfortable victory for India.

He was also part of the squad during India’s historic triumph in the 2002 NatWest tri-series played in England. A few months later, he made his way into the Test squad for a home series against England.

Possibly the only memorable moment of his Test career came in his debut match when he skittled England opener Marcus Trescothick’s stumps and gave Team India a crucial breakthrough. Post his 1st Test where he claimed 4 wickets, the other two games that he played saw him pick a solitary wicket.

His inability to make a big impression early in his international career ensured he did not have a long one.

#4 Aavishkar Salvi

Salvi had modelled his action on the legendary Glenn McGrath

With an action which was an absolute carbon copy of Australia’s great fast bowler Glenn McGrath, Aavishkar Salvi had raised many hopes of becoming India’s next bowling sensation. Unfortunately for him though, he was only able to last on the international scene for a paltry 4 ODIs, 3 of them coming in a tri-series played in Bangladesh.

Injuries were the primary reason which held Salvi back from achieving the success he was tipped for, as he even had an on-and-off domestic career because of the same. He reappeared on the cricketing scene during the 2009 IPL and went on to fulfil a dream of bowling alongside his idol Glenn McGrath, which may serve as the only consolation for the former Mumbai pacer.

#3 Harvinder Singh

Harvinder had a brief stint in India’s ODI team

Having made his ODI debut in the inaugural edition of the Sahara Friendship Cup against Pakistan at Toronto in the year 1997, medium pacer Harvinder Singh kept making international appearances every now and then until 2001.

He also played 3 Tests in his career, 2 against Australia at home and one against Sri Lanka, but could muster just 4 wickets with a best of 2 for 62. Harvinder had a better ODI record though as he took 24 wickets at an impressive average of 25.37 with his career-best figures of 3 for 44 coming on debut.

However, he was guilty of leaking too many runs at times as his career ODIeconomy rate of 5.32 may suggest. Since he was unable to capitalize on the few opportunities that he got, Harvinder Singh was soon out of contention for national selection.

#2 Abey Kuruvilla

The 6 foot 6 inches tall Kuruvilla represented India in both Tests and ODIs

The gigantic Mumbai pacer Abey Kuruvilla is another lesser known bowler who spent some time with the Indian cricket team, even if it was just a year. During his brief international career which started in March 1997 and ended in the last month of the same year, Kuruvilla did come up with a few good performances with the ball in both Tests and ODIs.

The most memorable one was his 5 for 68 against West Indies at Barbados in the 3rd Test of India’s 1997 Caribbean tour. Abey Kuruvilla helped India bundle out the hosts for 140 in their 2nd innings; however, the Indian batsmen were unable to complement his efforts as the innings folded up for a mere 81 in while chasing 120 for a win.

On the same tour, he helped India win an ODI by registering impressive figures of 3 for 23 as the West Indies were bowled out for 121 and India won by 10 wickets. But somehow things did not work out as expected for Abey Kuruvilla and he perished very quickly from the international scene.

#1 Debasis Mohanty

Mohanty had a decent run in ODIs for a brief period

Perhaps the most famous name on our list is Orissa pacer Debasis Mohanty, who represented India from the period between 1997 and 2001. Although he did play a couple of Tests, he was primarily a part of the ODI set-up. In 45 ODIs, Mohanty managed to get 57 wickets at a more than decent average of 29.15.

The highlight of his career came when he was chosen to be a part of the Indian squad for the 1999 World Cup. Mohanty recorded his career-best figures of 4 for 56 in the tournament in a group game against Kenya.

The seamer was adept when it came to bowling in conditions which supported swing and most of his good performances came in such conditions. However, his limitations in slightly flatter conditions meant that he slowly fell off the radar for international selection and headed back to domestic duties.