Ashis Sinha recalls clashes with touring Australians and other internationals

Former pacer Ashis Sinha recalled his encounters with touring Australian sides while commenting on Kerala bowlers struggling on a lifeless Keenan Stadium wicket in Jamshedpur on October 12, 2026. He said, “I have never seen a wicket as flat as this one.”

Sinha, who represented Bihar and East Zone as a seamer, noted that Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar several years after his playing days. He also played football for Bihar in the Santosh Trophy as a defender, and said injury shortened his cricket career. During his time with East Zone he took the wickets of former Australian captain Kim Hughes and opener Graham Yallop, and removed a couple of West Indies Test players.

Recalling the match against Australia at Cuttack in 1979, Sinha said, “It was my swing that got Hughes lbw and Yallop bowled.” He added that he was clean bowled by Rodney Hogg, who shared the new ball with Geoff Lawson, and that East Zone won that match at Cuttack in 1979, by four wickets.

Sinha recalled Allan Border, who had made his Test debut less than a year earlier, and said, “He looked very good even then.” He also remembered bowling against West Indians Malcolm Marshall and Alvin Kallicharan on the same ground; Marshall took 11 wickets in that match.

“It was indeed a privilege watching him bowl,” says Ashis.

He has also served as a coach and as a selector. He was part of the selection committee when India won its maiden under-19 World.