Did India Make the Right Call with Prasidh?

Leeds, June 22 (NationPress) Despite Prasidh Krishna nearing the 100-run mark in the current first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar asserts that India made a wise decision to include him at Headingley. He believes the fast bowler will enhance his performance with experience.

Although this is only his third Test match, and he has taken two wickets, Prasidh struggled to maintain effective lines and lengths, and together with his teammates, failed to adequately support leading bowler Jasprit Bumrah in limiting England's scoring rate.

“When comparing Prasidh Krishna's performance in this Test to his previous one in South Africa, I find him to be more impressive. Even though he didn’t secure wickets yesterday, he was still India’s second-best seamer, surpassing Mohammed Siraj and proving more effective than Shardul Thakur,” Manjrekar stated.

“Hence, India indeed made the correct choice in selecting him; this is Prasidh Krishna giving his all. With a few wickets and increased confidence, he has the potential to improve significantly. I won't critique Prasidh Krishna's bowling; he has performed to the best of his ability,” Manjrekar added on JioHotstar.

Deep Dasgupta, the former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, also commented on Prasidh’s costly performance, noting that he has delivered too many boundary balls to England’s aggressive batsmen. “My only worry with Prasidh is his consistency on this flat Headingley pitch. He needs to bowl in the right channel consistently, which I think he has struggled with, allowing more boundaries than desired.”

“That’s the challenge — he bowls well at times, but not enough consistently. We’ve often discussed Prasidh’s natural length, and against batsmen who relish playing their shots, it becomes challenging. Consequently, he occasionally concedes runs, which explains his economy rate,” he explained.

In the first session, local hero Harry Brook scored a quick 57 not out, and former England player Nick Knight praised his boldness in facing Bumrah. “We are witnessing the evolution of Harry Brook. Over the years, we’ve admired his high strike rate in Test cricket, his audacious shots, and aggressive style.”

“However, what we witnessed today was a more refined Harry Brook, and I appreciate this evolution. He is adept at adapting to the match situation. I particularly liked how he charged down the pitch to Jasprit Bumrah early on, signaling that he’s ready to take on the world's top bowler as the second-ranked batter.”

“There was much to admire in his innings, but what stood out was his ability to read the game and foster partnerships. He’s intelligent and perceptive. While we often discuss ‘Bazball’, this session didn’t heavily feature that approach. The key point is that the strategy is continually evolving, and the English batsmen executed it well,” he concluded.