Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar provided an honest review of Prasidh Krishna’s selection and performance in the upcoming Test between England and India. The acclaimed commentator said Prasidh, who gave up 56 runs in his first ten overs on Day 2, bowled better than Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.

Sanjay Manjrekar also believed that the management made the correct decision in backing Prasidh in the series’ opening game.

“If you look at Prasidh Krishna in this Test match versus the previous Test he played for India in South Africa, he looks the best to me. Despite not taking many wickets yesterday, he remained India’s number two seamer. “He was better than Mohammed Siraj, and certainly more powerful than Shardul Thakur,” Manjrekar told JioHotstar.

So, India made the right decision and chose him; this is Prasidh Krishna doing his best. If he gets a couple of wickets and gains confidence, he could improve over time. I won’t criticise Prasidh Krishna for the way he bowled; he did everything he could to the best of his ability,” Manjrekar stated.

He has bowled well, but not consistently enough: Dasgupta

Despite agreeing with Manjrekar, renowned analyst Deep Dasgupta emphasised Prasidh’s difficulty keeping a disciplined line when bowling on flat wickets like those in Leeds.

“My major issue about Prasidh is his consistency on the flattish pitch that we have here at Headingley. You have to come in and bowl the appropriate channel, again and over — and I believe Prasidh has given up a few more boundary deliveries than you would like him to. He’s bowled well, but not consistently. We’ve always talked about Prasidh’s natural length, and it may be challenging against hitters who enjoy playing their shots and have a variety of choices at their disposal. That’s why you have that kind of economy rate,” Dasgupta explained.

Prasidh made an incredible turnaround for India, going from wicketless on the second day to taking three of England’s seven wickets (at the time of writing). He dismissed Ollie Pope (106 off 137), Jamie Smith (40 off 62), and Harry Brook (99 off 112). However, in the 20 overs he has bowled, he has yet to bowl a maiden over.