Venkatesh Prasad after taking Aamer Sohail’s wicket in 1996 World Cup quarter-final clash (File Photo)

Former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad reveals that a day hasn’t gone by since March 9, 1996, that someone hasn’t asked about Aamer Sohail’s dismissal in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final match.

Former Pakistan opener made the mistake of taunting Prasad after hitting him for a boundary which fired up the latter. Prasad replied with a ‘thunderbolt’ of a delivery that uprooted the off stump.

“There’s not even a single day that goes by without anybody, whoever sees me, come what may, would definitely ask me, every single day from the last 24 years,” Prasad told FanCode in a conversation with sports journalist Boria Majumdar.

“He should’ve just gone back to his crease probably after getting that, but there was some exchange of words and a gesture that he made which didn’t really go well. Obviously, with the entire nation and spectators who were watching, and of course, with me as well. My blood was really boiling and we needed a wicket.”

The Sohail-Prasad incident is one of the most-talked-about episodes in India vs Pakistan clashes in World Cup matches. Prasad feels that he was lucky that he did not get banned under ICC Code of Conduct after the kind of send-off he gave to the Pakistan opener.

“I would’ve been penalised for that sort of gesture because that’s when the ICC Code of Conduct had come into the picture during the ‘96 World Cup; so I had to be very careful. And Shepherd was the umpire, so Azhar, Srinath and Sachin, everybody came to my rescue, otherwise, I would’ve probably been penalised or maybe banned,” the former quick added.

The dismissal of Sohail in the 15th over helped India come back in the game and register a win by 39 runs to advance to the semi-final 24 years ago.