India Cricket Team is staring at a 0-2 thrashing in South Africa after a long time. Having already lost the first SA vs IND Test within three days, Rohit Sharma & Co are under pressure. To make things difficult, India have a selection dilemma. Prasidh Krishna looks like the weakest link but dropping him after just one Test could send a wrong signal whereas sticking with him could be suicidal in Newlands where India have never won a Test match. And his likely replacement Mukesh Kumar hasn’t had a great start to his career either.
20 overs, 93 runs at 4.65 economy for one wicket: Prasidh Krishna’s numbers did not tell the whole story. That he failed to play the supporting role well was the biggest concern. Jasprit Bumrah bagged four wickets to be the standout bowler. But while Mohammed Siraj did support him with restrictive bowling, it was never the case with Prasidh Krishna in SA vs IND 1st Test.
Prasidh Krishna: The weakest link
In fact, when Praisdh and Shardul Thakur bowled from opposite ends, it was Merry Christmas for Dean Elgar & Co. They never felt threatened and went on to post 408 on a challenging wicket to bat on.
There were a lot of hopes for Prasidh Krishna as his height and abilities put him in an advantageous position. Instead, he was clearly the weakest link. Former India pacer Irfan Pathan pointed out where Prasidh went wrong in SA vs IND 1st Test.
“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 said.
“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,” he added.
SA vs IND 2nd Test: Mukesh Kumar in?
Even though Rohit Sharma did defend Prasidh Krishna, he knows for sure that the Karnataka pacer may not be the answer in Cape Town as he lacks confidence. The other option for him is to go with Mukesh Kumar.
The Bengal pacer played one Test but did not light it up in Port of Spain. However, he is a seasoned pacer in the domestic cycle and his ability to swing the ball could be an advantage.
Sunil Gavaskar said Mukesh Kumar could be India’s weapon in Cape Town where the ball swings more than Centurion.
“Mukesh Kumar in place of Prasidh Krishna will be another option for me. Generally, wind assists deliveries in Cape Town and the bowlers who can swing the ball in the air are successful. Mukesh Kumar could be the one,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports show.
However, with just one Test under his belt, Mukesh Kumar isn’t as experienced as Prasidh Krishna in international cricket. Now, as India Cricket Team travel to Cape Town, only a look at the conditions will help the team decide who to go with.
India squad for 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Avesh Khan
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