The steady evolution of Prasidh Krishna: Impressed at The Oval, but real test awaits in home conditions

Prasidh Krishna (AP Photo)

The pacer put on a much-improved show at The Oval but his litmus test will come in home conditions later this year

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Poll Do you believe Prasidh Krishna has established himself as a key player for India after his performance at The Oval? Yes, definitely No, he needs to prove more Maybe, let's see his performance in India

Inside The Oval: An Exclusive Tour of the Stadium Where India Played the Final Test

PRASIDH’S HIGHS & LOWS IN ENGLAND

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As Mohammed Siraj soaked in the applause and Shubman Gill became the toast of a nation, Prasidh Krishna appeared to slip quietly away from the spotlight, reflecting on his eight-wicket masterclass in India’s nerve-wracking, series-levelling win against England at the Oval.It was a career-defining performance that could potentially earn him the rite of passage into India’s elite pace group, alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj. The England series was a baptism by fire for the 29-year-old Karnataka speedster. It began on a harrowing note, with Prasidh being guilty of spraying the ball all over the place and leaking one boundary every eight deliveries in the first three Tests of the high-octane series.Like most tall bowlers from the subcontinent, Prasidh tends to bowl short of a length and hits the deck hard in search of discomforting bounce. The flat tracks in England didn’t help his cause, making him too predictable.“In the initial tests in England, he struggled to hit the right lengths. He had pace but was way too short. This is why you saw England batters either pulling him or flicking him,” former India and Delhi pacer Sanjeev Sharma told TOI.The team management, however, showed faith in and drafted him in for the crucial final Test. Prasidh justified the faith by playing a major role in India’s win.It wasn’t easy for Prasidh personally — he had to go against the grain and reset some of his deeply-embedded muscle-memory patterns. “In England, you need to pitch it up and bowl fuller in order to invite the batters to drive. Prasidh got those eight wickets at the Oval because he mixed his lengths cleverly. It was commendable because he is wired to bowl short of a length,” Sharma said.Anutosh A Poll, a former Karnataka team manager, is someone who has seen Prasidh since his formative years in the domestic circuit. Poll is, expectedly, chuffed at the pacer’s evolution. “I was amazed to see the way he bowled in England. Prasidh has grown in confidence and is part of the big league now. At the Oval, he was varying his lengths cleverly and not being predictable. The wickets of Jacob Bethell on Day 4 and Josh Tongue on the final day stood out for me,” Poll said.Boasting a high release point, combined with the ability to marry seam movement with bounce, makes Prasidh a wonderful proposition. Nevertheless, he needs to remain consistent and adapt to different conditions. Beyond his physical attributes, Prasidh also displayed commendable mental fortitude in England, especially after having spent months on the sidelines due to a series of stress fractures and quadricep tears. “It remains to be seen how he performs in India and in the subcontinent, where conditions are not ideal for his style of bowling,” Sharma added.Indeed, going forward, how he performs in India will decide whether he can be an integral part of the team in all conditions. The home season later this year will be Prasidh’s litmus test. Till then, let us savour his lion-hearted efforts at the Oval.- Prasidh Krishna produced his best bowling performance in the first innings of the Oval Test. With another four-wicket haul in the second innings (4/126), he also recorded his best Test figures in a match (ER 4.37).- Prasidh’s 8/188 and Mohammed Siraj’s 9/190 in the Oval Test was the first instance of two Indian fast bowlers bagging four wickets each in both innings of a Test.- Prasidh’s economy rate while conceding 128 runs and claiming three wickets off 20 overs in the first innings of the Leeds Test, the worst by an Indian bowler delivering 120 balls or more in a Test innings. The previous record belonged to Varun Aaron, who had an economy rate of 5.91 during his figures of 23-1-136-2 vs Australia in Adelaide in Dec 2014. Prasidh’s match economy rate of 6.28 in the same Test (35-0-220-5) is the worst by any Indian bowler conceding 200-plus runs in a match.(Stats: Rajesh Kumar)

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