'Maybe This Was First-match Nervousness': Pathan Decodes Prasidh Krishna's Forgettable Test Debut

Prasidh Krishna was one of 6 players who made their Test debuts for India. But unfortunately, he was among those who failed to leave an impact with his performance. Krishna was preferred ahead of Mukesh Kumar to fill the void created in Mohammed Shami’s absence. Shami missed out on the South African tour due to fitness issues and the team management handed the debut to Krishna, expecting an effective show from the Karnataka pacer. But the outcomes were completely opposite.

Krishna was the second-most expensive Indian bowler after Shardul Thakur, conceding 93 runs in 19 overs and picking up just 1 wicket. The right-arm’s under-par performance with the ball gave an edge to South Africa who piled up 408 runs and then defeated the tourists by an innings and 32 runs.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that Krishna can bowl much better than he did in the first match of the series.

Speaking on Star Sports, the former said “Prasidh Krishna can bowl much better than how he did in Centurion. His length could be perfect on South African pitches. If you look at the height that Rabada bowls from, Prasidh bowls a similar length, which is full but not for a drive. But that length was not seen in the first Test.”

Pathan further suggested that Krishna should look to hit the deck if he gets to play the second game in Cape Town.

“It looked like he was trying to bowl loopy deliveries and not hitting the deck hard. If he tries to hit the deck, he’ll get more purchases. Maybe this was the first-match nervousness. He couldn’t make the adjustment but I’ll be hoping for a better performance if he plays the second match,” Irfan added.

Avesh added to the squad

Fast bowler Avesh Khan has been added to India’s squad ahead of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. In the ongoing 2nd unofficial Test between South Africa A and India A, Khan put in an impressive performance claiming 5/54 in the first innings to help India A wrap up South Africa A for 263.

Avesh Khan who has 38 first-class games under his belt has picked up 149 wickets in his first-class career so far where he represents Madhya Pradesh. He was also the leading wicket-taker during the 2018-19 season where he picked up 35 wickets in just seven games.