Mumbai: Former Indian off-spinner M Venkataramana doesn't want to see Team India's new pace bowler Barinder Sran follow in his footsteps.
Venkataramana is one of four Indian bowlers (the other three being late Eknath Solkar, Avishkar Salvi and Tinu Yohannan) having taken wickets of the openers in the debut match but never played more than 10 ODIs' thereafter.
On Tuesday, Punjab's Barinder Sran, playing his first ODI against Australia at WACA (Perth), got the wickets of both openers (Aaron Finch and David Warner) in the initial overs. He also took the prize wicket of captain Steven Smith.
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Speaking exclusively from Chennai, Venkataramana says, "It was a good start for him (Barinder Sran) and the right place for a medium fast bowler to make his debut. He has got good variety in his armoury. Hope we see him more in the shorter version of the game more often. We wish him well to settle down in his early part of his carrier."
Venkataramana sees no reason why debut-lucky bowlers have not been able to play more in ODIs. Another ex-pacer, Tinu Yohannan believes that Sran needs to be guided properly.
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Sran is a good talented bowler. But to stay in the team, he needs to either increase the speed of the ball or swing. He has to move the ball more freely. Somebody should be there around him to guide him.
"There are various reasons for debut-lucky bowlers to be proved unlucky in the long run. Either the bowler didn't get enough chances or has not performed consistently to be in the limelight. In my case, it was injury immediately after the World Cup in 2003,” Yohannan signed off.
