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Who is Prasidh Krishna? Why did Virat Kohli mention his name after India beat Sri Lanka in Indore T20I

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Aug 21, 2020 04:54 AM IST

In August 2018, he was one of the 10 best fast bowlers outside the national team who were mentored at India A by Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey.

In 2015, Bangladesh A came visiting. They were up against Karnataka and this is where Prasidh Krishna got a taste of top-flight cricket. He was 19 and picked up 5 wickets. This was the first impression and well, an impression had been made. Before this, he showed his prowess in the Karnataka Premier League and things were starting to roll for him.

He has, since, played in two Vijay Hazare Trophies, and emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in the second one. Kolkata Knight Riders then came calling and soon, the young man was running in with the new ball for Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Hence, when Virat Kohli dropped his name after the Indore T20I, people who are familiar with the domestic set up and people who have a keen eye for young and strapping fast bowlers were not entirely surprised.

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“You’ll have to figure out who are the people that are very similar in their bowling skills, and you pick the senior one. I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia. Someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“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,” the captain further added.

In August 2018, he was one of the 10 best fast bowlers outside the national team who were mentored at India A by Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey.

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On a re-laid Eden Gardens track, Prasidh was sharp and hostile. He had the pace and he had Dinesh Karthik willing to back him to the hilt. There was success, but it did not come at a galloping pace. Last year, he was the leader of the pack and even bowled a super over against Delhi Capitals.

“It feels really nice as a bowler, as a youngster in the team when you know you have your captain, your team, your coaching staff, everyone trusts in you - what else can you ask for? It’s only going up from there,” he said after Karthik gave him the responsibility of the super over.

What are his IPL numbers:

In 18 matches, he has picked up 14 wickets with a strike rate of 29 and with an economy rate of 9.32. These numbers are not entirely convincing, but in the two seasons gone by, Prasidh has shown tremendous improvement.

Kohli gets excited when he sees pace and hence, he took this young man’s name. It remains to be seen if pacer is indeed the surprise package for India. However, as Ravi Shastri said, the composition of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup will be decided after the IPL this year.

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