World news – EXCLUSIVE: It is important that selectors hold on to Prasidh Krishna, says Venkatesh Prasad

In April 2019, former Australian pacer Brett Lee selected two Indian fast bowlers and put them in the promising lot. Lee named Delhi’s Navdeep Saini and Karnataka’s Prasidh Krishna and predicted a bright future for them. Lee played 76 tests, sent 16,531 balls, the majority of which tested the Speed ​​Gun, and took 310 wickets. The Australian also played 221 one-day caps and took 380 wickets.

At a promotional event two years ago in Mumbai, he wondered if the cricket world had a real fast bowler worth mentioning, but revealed that Saini and Krishna had caught his attention among the Indians. On a specific question about Indian fast bowlers, Lee replied, « It is my dream to find the next Indian fast bowler. I am impressed with the current Indian fast bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah was a class for me. He has a good pace and speed other action. Prasidh (Krishna) bowled in this IPL at a speed of 145 km / h or so. Then Saini is another promising fast bowler. The good thing about the current Indian fast bowlers is that they have a good pace.  »

Lee pointed out that both Krishna and Saini have nice actions. “I believe these bowlers can go faster by optimizing their approach, action and enforcement.” Since Lee, words of encouragement for the two fast bowlers Said Saini has made some progress, playing two test games, seven ODIs for the men in blue and ten Twenty20 games.Krishna is not yet in Ak for India tion.

The current national selection committee, which includes four fast-medium bowlers in Chetan Sharma, Abey Kuruvilla, Harvinder Singh and Debasis Mohanty and a weirdo in Sunil Joshi, has the 25-year-old, Bengaluru-born Krishna called nationally for the first time. Ironically, Krishna got the nod at the expense of Saini, whose six ODI gates cost him almost 76 runs each.

Krishna, who is going through mandatory isolation in Pune, the venue for the three ODIs against England, and is in the bio-safe bubble, was part of the school and college cricket, training and competition structure of the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

It was created by former Karnataka Ranji Trophy player P Srinivasa Murthy at the Carmel School in Padmanabha Nagar , Bengaluru, Introduced to Fast Bowling.

“I was in grade 6 when I started bowling. I played cricket a lot on tennis ball before playing hardball. I was a big boy who was already in school. I’m 6’2  » now. Mr. Shankar was in charge of the sport at Jain University, and the coach there was Nidhuvan. I think when I was 17 and when I played for the U19 national team I really started to roll fast, ”Krishna told news18.com.

The new kid on the fast bowling block also showed that State team was strong with many fast bowlers and therefore was not there after his debut in two Ranji Trophy seasons and that he was a regular on the U23 team. Krishna, who is part of the MRF Pace Foundation, said he learned a lot about line and length, maintained discipline, and remained calm. “He (McGrath) is with the foundation in Chennai. I’m still going to the foundation and I went to Australia with the MRF team, « added Krishna.

The former Karnataka and India center-forward BK Venkatesh Prasad is happy to that Krishna has the break. Prasad told news18.com, “To be honest, I haven’t seen him much. I’ve heard quite a bit about his abilities. The first and most important thing is that he has size. This is extremely important for a fast bowler, especially to get that extra jump. In the Indian bowling cast, I don’t think anyone but Ishant Sharma is a six-footer. Maybe Mohammad Siraj. Umesh Yadav maybe 5’11 ”, but not Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvneshwar.

 » What strikes you about Krishna is his height, he must be 6’2.  » That’s a very good height to get that extra jump. He also has a high arm action. He doesn’t run to the bowling fold very quickly. Shami, Siraj and Umesh run in quickly. Bumrah comes in, doesn’t it? But Krishna creates last minute pace due to his long leverage. He was in and out of the Karnataka team, likely due to injuries. But he’s done well for the past three seasons.

« That’s why the Selectors picked him for the ODIs. He’s a very good choice. Another Karnataka bowler after Roger Binny, Srinath, me, David Johnson, Dodda Ganesh, Mithun and Vinay Kumar on the Indian team. « Prasad also felt that the selectors wanted to try different bowlers who did well in national tournaments. » They want them in ODIs and Twenty20 games try. In Test Cricket, in its purest form, you have to choose the best XI. By 22 or 23, a bowler is much more mature. Varun Aaron was very quick but he probably didn’t understand the lines and lengths. Prasidh did well, he has the opportunity, but it is important that the selectors stay with him. I think the selectors are trying to build a good bank strength for fast bowlers. Now it has to be 8-10 fast bowlers, « said 51-year-old Pra sad, who passed 33 tests and recorded 96 wickets and 161 ODIs for 196 scalps.

BK Ravi, a Bengaluru-based BCCI referee, is proud of Krishna’s selection on the national team. Ravi, whose son BR Sharath is the Karnataka wicketkeeper, told news18.com: “Prasidh started at the Basavanagudi Cricket Academy and plays for Mount Joy CC in the tournaments of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. I am very happy for him. He is the first player from our club to reach the top. “

Krishna has been on the home track for five years. He has played nine top notch games and 34 wickets at 20:26, 48 List A (50 overs) matches and 81 wickets at 22.90, including 14 wickets at 22:21 in the most recent Vijay Hazare Trophy. He’s also played 40 T20 matches, taking 33 wickets at 35.84, including 24 IPL matches for 18 wickets at 44.50. The numbers look excellent, one reason why he impressed the selectors and also the Indian team management who saw him in action on the Indian nets.

How many young and aspiring pace bowlers looking for a good Feeling a little bad performing domestically but not getting the nod from the selectors for the highest level, Krishna felt a little bad about a year ago too. He missed much of the 2019-20 season due to a stress fracture from the fibular injury.

A conversation with the head coach of the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, M Senthilnathan, brought him a world of good. The latter recounted the day Krishna spoke to Senthilnathan and told news18.com, “During Covid last year, he felt a little confident. He told me he would do his best but wouldn’t get the call from the selectors. I told him there was nothing bad to feel. I said to him, “It is not your fault that the selectors did not notice you. You need to worry if you don’t practice at all. But you’re doing a good job as the Karnataka team’s strike bowler and that day wouldn’t be far if the selectors noticed you. “I fed him positives and he said he felt a lot better. “

Senthilnathan selected Krishna after selection trials for the MRF Pace Foundation and was accepted in January 2017. “What impressed me first was his size. His strengths are speed and bounce. He had a natural jump with a high arm action, much like Javagal Srinath. He’s got a good bounce. That really impressed me. It probably wasn’t exactly like it was then. In addition to strength training, he learned the art of pace bowling in due course, « said Senthilnathan.

Krishna was part of the exchange program that MRF PF has with the Australian High Performance Center in Brisbane, and learned more during a two-week trip in 2019 Tricks of the trade. Senthilnathan said, “He’s a good potential that works for all formats. He was a proven bowler in T20s for KKR. He drove 149 km / h and more in IPL. The boy can bowl more than 140 on average. With an extra bounce, he’ll be a difficult client. “

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Senthilnathan spoke to Krishna shortly after the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy. Senthilnathan said, “As a strike bowler for Karnataka, Krishna said he didn’t throw bad balls and attacked the batsmen to take wickets in the first 15 overs. He said with extra bounce, the mishaps flew over him, slipped for limits or over the wicketkeeper. His bowling must have impressed the selectors. « 

Karnataka head coach Yere Goud, under whom Krishna made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2018/19, said: » His inswinging deliveries are more effective, with many wickets in the form of LBW and bowling. Krishna has been doing well for a number of years and this year he regained his rhythm at the Vijay Hazare Trophy. “

After feeling bad last year, Krishna is at a peak with India’s reputation and it is up to him to reach his potential.