Venkatesh Prasad
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Venkatesh Prasad, the former Indian fast bowler, recalled his iconic tussle with former Pakistani opener Aamir Sohail in the quarter-final of the 1996 World Cup at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

India and Pakistan squared off in a high-octane encounter in the 1996 World Cup and the game is basically remembered for two main reasons- Ajay Jadeja’s brutal counter-attack against Waqar Younis to help India post 287 in 50 overs and the ugly confrontation between Aamir Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad.

Needing 288 wins, Pakistan off to a dream start courtesy the swashbuckling opening pair of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail. Even though Javagal Srinath got rid of Saeed Anwar in the 11th over, Sohail continued to attack the Indian bowlers.

The incident happened in the 15th over when Aamir Sohail, after having charged down the track, smashing Prasad towards the extra-cover boundary, pointed his finger and signaled with his bat to the fast bowler as to where he would hit him off the next delivery.

Also Read: Waqar Younis Slams Aamer Sohail’s Behaviour During The 1996 World Cup Clash Against India

‘I just heard him say that, I just used a couple of words and went back’- Venkatesh Prasad

Venkatesh Prasad Reveals He And Aamir Sohail Exchanged A Few Words In The Lead-Up To Their Tussle
Venkatesh Prasad and Aamir Sohail

Prasad, during an interaction with R Ashwin on his Youtube show, revealed that were words exchanged between him and Aamir, something that the former Pakistan captain will never accept.

“If I have to sort of talk about that particular incident, the point is it was a World Cup quarter-final game. If you lose, you are out of the tournament. Also, it was India-Pakistan, you know how the feeling is generally. With the expectations and hype given by the media, then it was very important for us to win to qualify for the semi-final,” Venkatesh Prasad said.

“It was actually sort of a slap (via the off-side), he came down the track and hit the ball towards the point and extra-cover region. I didn’t expect that coming. It was a high-pressure game. 35,000 people in the stadium,” he added.

“Before the incident happened, I was at the boundary line. They were smashing us. It looked like the match would get over in 45 overs. I was watching the crowd, standing at fine leg. I could see everybody was on the edge of their seats. They couldn’t believe what was happening. That’s how the situation was,” Prasad said.

“He came down the track and gave himself a bit of room and hit me for a boundary, he showed his bat and showed his fingers towards the place where he hit the bat” he added,

“He said, he doesn’t accept that but he told me and I could hear him. We are quite close, I had completed my follow-through, he said ‘I am going to hit you there next ball’. I just heard him say that, I just used a couple of words and went back. There was a lot going through,” Venkatesh Prasad revealed.

‘It was difficult to keep calm’- Venkatesh Prasad

Venkatesh Prasad Reveals He And Aamir Sohail Exchanged A Few Words In The Lead-Up To Their Tussle
Venkatesh Prasad and Aamir Sohail have quite a history to remember. Image Courtesy: Getty

Prasad admitted that such was the manner in which the Pakistan openers launched their onslaught against him and his fellow bowlers, it was difficult for him to keep his calm.

“As such, they were smashing us and no one could believe what was happening. I, for some reason, though I was not as quick as Srinath, I would never want a batsman to dominate me. It’s been my character. The moment someone dominates me, irrespective of who it is, I would like to give it back. At the same time, you have got to keep your cool, make sure you’re in the game, make sure you’re able to think well and execute well. A lot of thoughts were crossing my mind when I was going back,” Prasad added.

“I had to make a decision. Then I said ‘this is what I have practiced all my life. Bowl in the corridor, don’t give width to the batsman and bowl stump to stump’. And I just backed myself, kept my cool of course, didn’t really go back to what happened in the previous ball or what’s going to happen the next ball.” he revealed.

As it turned out, Venkatesh Prasad had the last laugh as he knocked Aamir Sohail’s off-stump off the very next delivery which eventually proved to be the turning point in the game.

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