Pacer Prasidh Krishna picked eight wickets in Team India’s triumph against England at The Oval, making his presence felt in the decisive fifth Test. Krishna accounted for the vital dismissals of Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue, helping the visitors pull off a roaring comeback.England were 301/4 at one point while chasing a target of 374 but suffered a sudden collapse as the Indian pacers made their presence felt. Krishna’s heroics also marked a personal turnaround after being heavily trolled for his performances in the opening two Tests, which was followed by him getting dropped till the final Test. The 29-year-old pacer had picked six wickets in the first two Tests, conceding 331 runs.
“Krishna could have been far more consistent earlier in the series. He actually played into England’s hands because they enjoyed the width on offer. To be fair, he was assigned the responsibility of bowling short to the opposition batters which they were very comfortable against. Krishna worked on his line and length after being dropped from the lineup and was far more consistent in the final Test which is what brought results,” said the cricketer’s childhood coach P. Srinivasa Murthy, in an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.“The deck had some life in the fifth Test and the four wickets he picked in the first inning gave Krishna a lot of confidence. The camaraderie between him, Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill also helped, having played together at GT,” he added.
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One of the most eye-catching moments in the fifth Test was the manner in which Krishna outwitted Josh Tongue in the second innings. The 29-year-old pacer initially fiddled around with the field placements, signalling to the batter that a bouncer would be bowled as the fielders moved closer to the rope. However, Krishna caught Tongue unawares by bowling a pinpoint yorker.“He’s a thinker and a very smart kid. They generally kept a fielder for a bouncer, telling Tongue that boss, ‘Please expect a bouncer right now’. Krishna then played a three-card trick by bowling a full-length delivery. We are not sure how regularly Jasprit Bumrah can play, as is the case with Mohammed Shami. Krishna’s performance in this series should give confidence to the team management that he can be invested in especially when it comes to playing Tests in SENA countries,” stated the cricketer’s coach.
We are not sure how regularly Jasprit Bumrah can play, as is the case with Mohammed Shami. Krishna’s performance in this series should give confidence to the team management that he can be invested in
P. Srinivasa Murthy, Prasidh Krishna’s childhood coach
However, Murthy admitted that the pacer will get very limited opportunities to play Test matches in India, just like retired fast-bowler Javagal Srinath.“I’m sure that the selection committee probably won’t make him play Tests in Indian conditions. Siraj will be your number one pacer alongside Bumrah. Krishna’s chances of playing Test cricket in India will be very far and very few, for which he needs to be mentally prepared. The same thing happened with Srinath who used to be majorly benched alongside Venkatesh Prasad in India. I would want Krishna to become stronger and super fit just like Siraj. If he continues being lanky, there will always be issues related to his back,” he said.Krishna picked 14 wickets in three Tests against England, finishing with the same tally as Bumrah.
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