Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on Prasidh Krishna after India registered a convincing nine-wicket win against Afghanistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Saturday.
Krishna returned with impressive figures of 5-23 in 8.2 overs he bowled and played a key role in skittling out the visitors at 218. The lanky bowler bagged four wickets in the Powerplay overs to put Afghanistan under the cosh and these are his best figures in the 50-over format.
The Karnataka pacer was awarded Player of the Match for his exemplary spell.
“Prasidh Krishna was given the new ball against Australia in Indore in 2023. He had taken wickets with the new ball there as well. However, he didn’t get the new ball at all after that. He didn’t get a chance to play. We were checking who has taken the most wickets for India in their first series,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Prasidh Krishna’s name was there in that list as well. He had taken six wickets in his first series, and Gurnoor Brar took seven this time. However, how many chances has he got after that? Very few. He has been trolled many times as to why Prasidh is played. They say he is being played because of the Gujarat lobby. By the way, he is not from Gujarat. He is from Karnataka,” he added.
Chopra recalled he said a long time ago that Krishna would become famous, as his name suggests.
“We had said long ago that this Krishna would become Prasidh, and he is bowling well. He bowled full, got the ball to swing, and induced outside edges. He was brilliant. It’s not easy to take a five-wicket haul in white-ball cricket, and he did that. The first two overs were maidens,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer added that sideways movement helped Krishna in producing the goods.
“Height, pace, extra bounce, and sideways movement. I think sideways movement was the differentiator because he has always had height and bounce. The ability to bowl full, get the ball to swing a little, and to deliver on the seam with backspin, those things stood out. It was an important series for him,” Chopra observed.
Krishna is part of the ODI squad for the England tour.
