New Delhi, April 14: Manoj Prabhakar is celebrated as one of the finest fast-bowling all-rounders in Indian cricket. He began his career as a bowler for the Indian team and was also a reliable lower-order batsman. Prabhakar often opened the batting for Team India as well.
Born on April 15, 1963, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, he was a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. Prabhakar made his One Day International (ODI) debut on April 8, 1984, against Sri Lanka in Sharjah and his Test debut on December 12, 1984, against England in New Delhi. He remained a key member of the Indian team until 1996.
During his career, Prabhakar took 96 wickets in 68 Test innings across 39 matches, achieving the milestone of five wickets in an innings three times. In Test cricket, he scored 1,600 runs, including one century and nine half-centuries in 58 innings. In ODIs, he claimed 157 wickets in 130 innings and scored 1,858 runs in 98 innings, with two centuries and 11 half-centuries to his name.
Prabhakar holds the record for the most instances of opening both batting and bowling in international cricket, having done so 45 times in ODIs and 20 times in Tests. He is particularly remembered for his bowling, which was his standout skill, utilizing slow balls and outswingers effectively.
He was part of the Indian teams that won the 1985 World Championship of Cricket, the 1984 Asia Cup, and the Asia Cups in 1990-91 and 1995.
Playing domestically for Delhi, Prabhakar took 385 wickets in 154 first-class matches and scored 7,469 runs. In List A cricket, he claimed 269 wickets and scored 4,118 runs in 214 matches.
He retired from cricket in 1996. After retirement, Prabhakar transitioned into coaching, serving as the bowling coach for the Delhi cricket team and the head coach for the Rajasthan cricket team. He has also been the bowling coach for the Afghanistan cricket team and the head coach for Nepal.
Prabhakar’s career has not been without controversy; he faced allegations of match-fixing. In 2011, he was removed from coaching the Delhi cricket team after publicly criticizing players and selectors.
Currently, Prabhakar is living away from cricket, enjoying life with his family.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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