[Watch] When MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman bowled and took wickets
Part-time Indian bowlers Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav stunned Sri Lanka in the third T20I of the three-match series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, July 30. Both picked up two wickets each in one over as the match ended in a tie. The Men in Blue then clinched the Super Over.
With the hosts needing only nine runs off 12 balls, Suryakumar gave the ball to part-time off-spinner Rinku. He conceded only three runs while picking up two scalps, including the big one of Kusal Perera (46). Then with six needed off six balls, Suryakumar took it upon himself to bowl the final over. He too bowled some off-spin, picked up two wickets and gave away only five runs.
Part-timers bowling and taking wickets is not an uncommon phenomenon in cricket. A video shared on social media includes a compilation of non-regular Indian bowlers Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni and Wasim Jaffer taking wickets in international cricket. Clips of Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik picking up wickets can also be seen, although they are not from international cricket.
Watch the video below
Interestingly, the famed Indian opening duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were also part-time bowlers. But they played so much international cricket that they ended up picking 201 and 132 wickets respectively!
Bowling records of Dhoni, Pant, Dravid and Laxman
Former India captain Dhoni picked up one wicket in ODIs at an average of 31. He registered figures of 1-14 from two overs in the 2009 Champions Trophy match against West Indies in Johannesburg. Dhoni bowled Travis Dowlin, who inside-edged a full ball onto the stumps.
Keeper-batter Pant has yet to bowl in international cricket and has picked up only one wicket in first-class cricket. As for Dravid, the former India captain has one wicket in Test matches and four in one-dayers. He got the wicket of Ridley Jacobs in the 2002 Antigua Test. All 11 Indian players bowled in this game on a docile pitch, with Jaffer picking two wickets and Laxman one.
As for Dravid's ODI victims, he dismissed South Africa's Gary Kirsten and Lance Klusener in Kochi in March 2000. The former India head coach also got the scalp of Shaun Pollock in the same series during the one-dayer in Faridabad. He also had Saeed Anwar caught behind for 95 in the 1999 Pepsi Cup match in Jaipur.
Speaking of Laxman, he picked up two Test scalps and finished with a bowling average of 63. The part-time off-break bowler dismissed Adam Sanford in the 2002 Antigua Test. He also got the wicket of Mohammed Sami with a flighted delivery in the 2007 Test against Pakistan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.