Throwback video: Pakistan’s Aamir Sohail sledges Venkatesh Prasad in 1996 WC, birthday boy gives mouth-shutting reply by rattling the stumps

Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad is celebrating his 55th birthday today (August 5). The right-arm seamer was capable of moving the ball both ways and was a terror for the opposition in the opening overs. Having represented India in both Tests and ODIs, Prasad has been a great asset to the team for more than five years since his debut.

The Karnataka cricketer played 161 ODIs, but his one performance that fans will always remember is the 1996 World Cup quarter-final. Prasad gave a massive breakthrough which led Pakistan to fumble in the run chase and helped India eventually win by 39 runs. The wicket of Pakistan opener Aamir Sohail turned out to be the most famous moment of his career.

Batting first at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India scored 287 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 50 overs. It was opener Navjot Sidhu who led the charge with a 115-all 93. However, the rest of the team also contributed small shares to help the team reach a respectable total.

Sohail’s sledging fuels fighting spirit of Prasad and his team

In reply, Pakistan got off to a strong start with Sohail and Saeed Anwar forming a decent partnership for the first wicket. As India desperately searched for a wicket, Sohail hit a boundary off Prasad and taunted him with open sledging. This fired up not only the bowler but the whole of India who were eagerly waiting for a moment to give it back to their arch-rivals.  

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Prasad, however, did not wait too long to shut the mouth of the Pakistani batter. The tall pacer gave a befitting reply on the very next ball by rattling the stumps. The Bengaluru crowd erupted as their local boy did something incredible to bring India back into the game.

Watch the video below:

It was indeed a turning point in the match as Pakistan went on to lose the game despite making a strong start. Prasad and spinner Anil Kumble finished with three wickets. Javagal Srinath and Venkatapathy Raju took one wicket each.

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