West Indies’ former opener Chris Gayle often finds a place at the top whenever all-time T20 and Indian Premier League (IPL) XIs are made. Gayle has had an impact on many bowlers’ career. Two years before he smashed an unbeaten 175, he punished now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s spinner Prasanth Parameswaran, hitting him for 36 runs in an over (excluding a no-ball). A decade and a half later, Parameswaran said that he is often reminded of the 37-run over he bowled at Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) homeground.
“Actually, while the match was going on, I was under the belief that I had given away 32 runs. I thought the last four was a bye. It was only when I came back to the dressing room and saw the highlights on the TV that I realised that it was actually 37,” Prasanth told Sportstar.
Parameswaran said that he wasn't scared but did not have an understanding of how dangerous Gayle can be. Instead, he was worried about batters like Robin Uthappa, who he had bowled to regularly.
“It was not like I was scared. In that situation, I was just going with the flow. I have experienced losing my bowling shape and action when put under pressure. This wasn’t like that. I wasn’t that experienced. Those were my starting days. We didn’t have much guidance back then,” said the 40-year-old.
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“To be honest, I really didn’t have an understanding of how dangerous a Gayle or a Sehwag were. I had never bowled to any of them. In fact, I was more worried about the batters whom I used to play against regularly in domestic cricket – someone like Robin Uthappa, who was then with Karnataka.
“It was because I bowled to them multiple times and gained an understanding of their abilities and powers. Then it works into the mind. That was the mindset. It was only after I started coaching that I gained a better understanding,” he recalled.
Despite bowling a record-breaking over, he was roped in as an injury replacement by RCB. He revealed that Gayle didn’t recognise him at first and then apologised for the onslaught.
“I joined RCB as an injury replacement in 2012 and played almost straight away. That year, I didn’t have the time to get to know anyone in the team. In the second year, I got closer to everyone in the team.
“One day, in 2013, I went up to Gayle and asked if he remembered me. He said no. Then I told him about the 37-run over. ‘Oh, that was you? Really sorry, man,’ he responded. We actually bonded a lot during that time,” recalls Prasanth.
Prasanth’s IPL career numbers
He played five games for Mahela Jayawardene-led Kochi Tuskers Kerala and took four wickets, including Virender Sehwag’s on debut. Despite the 37-run over, he had an economy rate of 8.74 runs per over in the 2011 season. In the 2012 edition, he got to play three games and claimed five wickets at an average of 17.40. His economy rate was similar to that of previous season. He was also part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) but never got to make his debut for them.
He played his last competitive game in 2015 for Goa.