He literally just chose this guy because his name is convenient to misspellSingle L, double T btw.
He played all his matches when he was 29. Certainly not young but not that old. Retired only three years later though. I don't imagine bowling on the Indian domestic pitches of the time was exactly a career-extender for any pace bowler.Kuruvilla apparently was given chance to play for India a little too late. He was already past his peak when he debuted.
They had a recency bias and I think he had a very good Ranji Trophy final or something.He played all his matches when he was 29. Certainly not young but not that old. Retired only three years later though. I don't imagine bowling on the Indian domestic pitches of the time was exactly a career-extender for any pace bowler.
A tad surprising considering his decent record and physical attributes that he wasn't given a go earlier. Cricinfo claims he was considered a prospect in 1992. Guessing they were content with Srinath and Prasad, and most of the guys he was competing with had fairly similar records.
How the hell Johnson got a go first though. That's a mystery.