Prasidh Krishna had taken 49 wickets in his first 51 IPL games. That is less than one wicket per match. However, this season, Prasidh has plucked 14 wickets in just seven games to become the current holder of Purple Cap. That is quite a transformation for a bowler who has constantly come under scrutiny for his lack of control. So, how has Prasidh turned his fortunes around? Is this also an indicator that he could secure a berth in the Indian squad for the England tour and perhaps partake in a Test or two?
To gauge the improvements that Prasidh has made, let’s look closely at his four-wicket spell against Delhi Capitals in searing heat. The first ball that he bowled was clipped away to the fine-leg fence by his Karnataka teammate, KL Rahul. In the past, there was a school of thought held against Prasidh that if his first or second ball scurries away to the fence or goes over the boundary rope, then he has a tendency to lose the plot.
To some extent, that assertion could be true, but the present version of Prasidh seems to have worked on his temperament. In that same over, he flummoxed Rahul with a yorker that swung away late. The essence of the point being Prasidh has gained a reputation of snapping his back and hitting the pitch hard to extract extra bounce from a slightly fuller length. The batters too would mostly anticipate Prasidh to employ that weapon. And that is where the tall paceman usurped Rahul as he befuddled him with a variation – the yorker.
Even during some of the previous games this season, bouncebackability has been a salient feature of his bowling. For instance, Aiden Markram chipped down the track and smacked him for a six off the first ball of his spell against Lucknow Super Giants. On that occasion, too, Prasidh took the mini setback in his stride and finished with a couple of scalps, which included that of Markram.
Prasidh also seems to have tweaked a few nuts and bolts of his action to ensure the run-up, landing, front foot contact and the follow-through are all directly aligned at the batter. The resultant outcome is that he has hardly bowled down the leg-side or offered width in this tournament so far. Even when has got the ball to move away off the seam, his offerings have been closer to the off-stump. Prasidh has also been consistently clocking speeds in the range of 140-145 kph.
All these pointers gain significance in the backdrop of the upcoming Test series in England. Should Prasidh be included for the Test tour? The answer to that question is most likely a yes. It is true that it is a completely different format, but Prasidh is definitely in good rhythm and deserves a chance.
There is one more question to be addressed: The prevailing conditions in England. Yes, the conditions may help more of swing and kiss-the-surface seam bowling, but any captain would prefer to have one bowler who bangs the ball hard into the pitch to keep the batter on the back foot. It also has to be observed that the pitches have generally been better for batting after Brendon McCullum took over as the England coach.
The subset to the above-mentioned lines is that India already have Jasprit Bumrah, who can wear the hat of different roles and execute the plans. Unfortunately, due to his recent injury woes, the Indian think-tank may not take the risk of playing him in all the Tests. And that opens up a window of opportunity for the likes of Prasidh or Harshit Rana to be included in the squad.
Eons ago, this writer witnessed Prasidh’s first-class debut against the touring Bangladesh ‘A’ side. Prasidh, who was representing Karnataka XI, immediately made an impression by removing Rony Talukdar with his first ball. It was a delivery that bounced a little extra from a length to catch the edge, with Shishir Bhavane at second slip pouching the catch.
The key skill to note from that game was the bounce that Prasidh extracted, a rare trait in the context of Indian cricket. Since then, Prasidh has made enough tweaks to his action, but the crux of his bowling remains the same: Pounding the deck hard and using the heavy ball.
Ten years later, Prasidh seems to have become more of a battle-hardened cricketer, along with understanding the different aspects of the fast-bowling mindset. Fingers-crossed that he would stay injury-free and shine brightly while playing for his country.
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