‘India made right choice and went for him’ – Sanjay Manjrekar on Prasidh Krishna

Former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, offered an honest assessment of Prasidh Krishna‘s selection and performance during the ongoing Test between England and India. The renowned commentator felt Prasidh, who conceded 56 runs in his first 10 overs on Day 2, bowled better than Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.

Manjrekar also felt the management made the correct call of backing Prasidh for the opening game of the series.   

“If you see Prasidh Krishna in this Test match as opposed to the Test he played for India earlier in South Africa, he’s looked the best to me. Yesterday, although he didn’t quite get the wickets, he was still India’s number two seamer. He was better than Mohammed Siraj, certainly more potent than Shardul Thakur,” shared Manjrekar while speaking to JioHotstar.   

So, India made the right choice and went for him; this is Prasidh Krishna doing the best he can. With time, if he gets a couple of wickets and builds confidence, he might just get better and better. I will not be critical of Prasidh Krishna with the way he’s bowled — he has done everything he possibly could to the best of his ability,” added Manjrekar.

He’s bowled good deliveries, but not consistently enough: Dasgupta

Renowned commentator Deep Dasgupta, despite agreeing with what Manjrekar had to say, highlighted Prasidh struggles with maintaining a disciplined line while bowling on flat wickets similar to one in Leeds.
 
“My only concern with Prasidh is the consistency on a flattish pitch that we have here, at Headingley. You’ve got to come in and bowl the right channel, over after over — and that’s where I think Prasidh has given up a few more boundary deliveries than you would want him to. He’s bowled good deliveries, but not consistently enough. We’ve always talked about Prasidh’s natural length, and especially against batters who love playing their shots and have an array of options available to them, it becomes a little difficult. That’s the reason you see that kind of economy rate,” noted Dasgupta.

From being wicketless on the second day to scalping three of England’s seven wickets (at the time of writing), Prasidh made a remarkable turnaround for India. His wickets included Ollie Pope (106 off 137), Jamie Smith (40 off 62), and Harry Brook (99 off 112). However, he hasn’t bowled a single maiden over in the 20 overs he has bowled so far.