Let me add some unknown cricketer from the Indian side.
This is about Ram Narayan (V.RamNarayan), who used to play for Hyderbad as their off spinner. I am adding this piece because, I have seen Ram bowl at his best form in Ranji and felt that he had all the tools required for a top class off spinner - loop, flight, guile, vicious turn, bounce and the wrong one too. Most of all, Ram has a tremendous knowledge of the game and to this day, it comes out in his comments. We have exchanged the odd email over the years and Ram continues to be still attached to everything around cricket.
Ram, unfortunately played around the same time as Venkat and Prasanna and hence never got the chance to don the national colors but my guess is, he was almost as good as Venkat, if not equal to that of Prasanna in wicket taking ability.
Ram also is the brother of V.Sivaramakrishnan (whose son Vidyut now opens for TN), the former TN opening batsman, who had a much more successful Ranji career.
Ram has a nice sense of humor and his chronicles of Madras cricket produces non stop laughter in his column - curd rice in the chennai online site.
Here is an excerpt from one such story -
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Chennai cricket has its own lingo, a laidback approach to it seldom seen elsewhere, and a strong tendency among its players to see the funny side of most situations, cricketing or otherwise, connected with the game. If we want to understand Chennai cricket, we must first learn some of its unique technical terms. Here are some samples:
Danda out: A bad decision by the umpire. This term is usually employed by a batsman who has failed in a match, when a friend asks him how many runs he has scored.
Poi bowling: The hard-to-please Chennaiite's description of the stuff dished out by most spin bowlers. Poi of course means a lie or falsehood, and this term denotes lack of spin or fictitious spin. A variation is poi bowler.
Grease: Archaic local pronunciation of "crease". Means the crease.
Sign match: A match at the end of which the losing captain signs in acknowledgement of his team's defeat. Strictly street corner or neighbourhood cricket formality. A further value addition is provided by the umpire(s) affixing his/ their signatures.
Bye-runner: A runner who runs for an injured batsman, usually refused permission by the fielding captain.
Azhukku batsman: Literally "dirt(y)" batsman; someone your bowlers don't know how to dismiss; usually a dour, defensive one.
Arai kozhi: A long hop.
Tyte (pronounced tie-thay): A bowler who runs in like Tyson and bowls like Gupte; a bowler who has a long and impressive run-up but doesn't achieve any appreciable pace.
Manga: Literally means mango, a colourful term for chucking or throwing by a bowler. "Manga adikkaranda", is the way a suspect action is described meaning the bowler throws stones to bring down mangoes.
Set-up: A fixed match.
Gada Munuswami: A slogger or wild hitter.
Pazham: A poor fielder, especially a poor catcher.
Local six: A mistimed skier, which ends in a catch within single-saving distance.
Dhanakoti sixer: Same as above, made famous by a stonewaller called Dhanakoti.
Mookku mele (literally, on top of your nose): Same as above.
Ganapati uruttal: A ball that shoots all along the ground, named after S Ganapati who played for St. Bede's School and Reserve Bank of India.
Gaaji: Hogging the strike.
KPP or kuri pathu podu or kala pathu podu: Bowl a sandshoe crusher
Paper score: Getting enough runs or wickets to have your name published in the newspaper (Used to be 25 runs or three wickets, now 40 runs in The Hindu)
Goal: To misfield and let the ball go between your legs.
Katthi (knife): A crossbatted shot.
Rude bowling: Fast bowling.
Feed bowling: Same as above.(Feed is a mispronunciation of speed).