Karnataka paceman M. Prasidh Krishna, who made it to the Indian squad for the ODI series against England, is elated with his call-up.
The 25-year-old has been rewarded for his consistent performances in white-ball cricket in the recent past. In two of Karnataka’s victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaigns (2017-18 and 2019-20), Prasidh picked up 17 wickets each. Earlier this month, he finished with 14 wickets in Karnataka’s run to the semifinals.
“I am very excited to be part of the Indian squad,” Prasidh told The Hindu on Friday. “The team is made of greats and I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with them.”
Surprise package
Back in January 2020, Virat Kohli had termed Prasidh a “surprise package” while looking ahead to the ICC World T20 in Australia, which eventually got postponed.
“I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia,” Kohli had said. “Someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce. Prasidh Krishna has done well in the domestic arena. It is a great luxury to have this group of bowlers in all formats. Looking at the World Cup, we have enough options.”
Prasidh first made news with a five-wicket haul, on debut, against Bangladesh-A in 2015. But such was Karnataka’s fast-bowling riches that he had to remain an understudy to the likes of R. Vinay Kumar, S. Arvind and Abhimanyu Mithun.
Two years ago, things finally seemed to open up for Prasidh after Arvind’s retirement and Vinay Kumar’s move to Pondicherry, but injuries laid him low. Prasidh has played just eight First Class games in the last five full seasons.
A stress fracture in his left leg in October 2019 hampered him while an elbow niggle limited him to just six games for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2020 held in the UAE. But Prasidh chose to see the bright side of things.
Invaluable experience
“I am happy I went through the grind and faced all the difficulties I did,” he said. “The experience that it gives you is invaluable. The Hazare Trophy went well for me recently. And I should also thank Karnataka for helping me with this.
“I am not building any expectations. I just want to express myself and not lose out on the enjoyment,” he added.
