Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan expressed strong criticism towards pacer Prasidh Krishna for his disappointing bowling display in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. Even after India put up a huge total of 358 runs, the team failed to defend it due to an overall poor performance with the ball.
Prasidh had an especially rough outing, giving away 85 runs in 8.2 overs despite taking two wickets, making him the least effective among the Indian bowlers. His form has been a concern across the series, as he was also expensive in the first ODI, where India narrowly secured a 17-run win, leaking 48 runs in 7.2 overs.
Speaking about Prasidh Krishna’s below-par bowling effort, Zaheer Khan mentioned on Cricbuzz:
“You don’t have to point out any individual. But Prasidh has been that weak link in the last couple of games. He is not able to figure out exactly how to play that role. That was evident in today’s game as well. His economy was also on the higher side. The captain is then always thinking about how to use your resources and whether he has enough confidence in using Prasidh.”
The former fast bowler feels that Prasidh’s poor performance disrupted KL Rahul’s captaincy strategy.
“Otherwise he (Rahul) had that moment where after 35 overs, he could have gone to Arshdeep and Kuldeep and bowled them in tandem. That stage, create more pressure and create a wicket-taking opportunity. He was not able to do that because constantly in the back of his mind, Prasidh’s overs he wanted to get some out right now before it gets too late,” Zaheer added.
“Hit the deck hard and get your lengths right” — Zaheer Khan to Prasidh Krishna
Zaheer Khan suggested that Prasidh Krishna needs to adjust to his responsibility as the first-change bowler, where it is very important to bowl the right lengths with the older ball. The Raipur match against South Africa was only Prasidh’s 20th ODI for India.
“His role is a seamer who is going to be ranked 3 in the bowling lineup. So he’s going to be doing the tough job which is first change when the ball is older. You’ve to be able to hit the deck hard and hit the lengths right,” said Zaheer (via the aforementioned source).
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