Prasidh Krishna admits Anderson-Tendulkar series took a lot out of him physically

India’s fast bowler Prasidh Krishna admitted the Anderson-Tendulkar series took a lot of toll on his body. Krishna was part of the first two Test matches against England but was then dropped after mundane performances.

However, the lanky fast bowler from Karnataka played a key role in India’s memorable win at the Kennington Oval, London. Krishna bagged a total of eight wickets in the final game of the series and provided good support to Mohammed Siraj. 

The fast bowler bagged 14 wickets in three Test matches at an average of 37.07. The 29-year-old bowled a total of 105 overs in the series.

“Physically, it took a lot out of me,” Prasidh said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo. “It took me about a week to shake it off. Then I came back, played a few games in the Maharaja Trophy. It felt good to go back to my state, be with my statemates, chat with the youngsters, and just get that feeling of being back in cricket again.

“Once that was over, I got back to training in Bengaluru, started bowling, and we had a few [BCCI-mandated fitness] tests over the last two days. And now, this morning when I woke up, I felt really good – like, ‘Okay, I’m ready to go play some more cricket now’.”

On the final day of the series, India needed four wickets to win but had only 35 runs in the bank. The start for the visitors was shaky as Krishna was taken for two boundaries on the first two balls of the day but he remained calm. Krishna revealed his plan was to bowl a bouncer first up against Jamie Overton.

“The first ball, I had clearly planned, was going to be a bouncer,” he remembers. “It made me feel like I could set up the over – or even the following overs – better, knowing how the bouncer was behaving. I felt that was one of my main weapons.

“That ball went for a boundary, but it also helped me understand what was happening with the pitch. The second one was an inside edge altogether. Even with eight runs coming off the first two balls, I was still pretty composed. I knew I had to hit a certain area, a certain length, and let the ball do the talking.

“Siraj, from the other end, started off really well. The ball was swinging – not as much for me in the first couple of overs, but it was swinging for him. So I had to pull myself back a little and ask myself, ‘Okay, what can I do now? How do I get straighter?’

“The wicket of Jamie Smith changed everything. From there, it was about us being consistent in the right areas, and then it was just a matter of time before the wickets fell.”

Krishna was able to bag the crucial wicket of Josh Tongue on the final day, whereas Mohammed Siraj did the rest.