Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, urging the Indian team management to give him more matches despite a difficult outing in the opening Test against England at Headingley. Krishna, who struggled for consistency and returned with an economy of over six across both innings, came under scrutiny after England pulled off a record 371-run chase to win the first match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. However, Ashwin feels the tall pacer still has a big role to play going forward. “I would give Prasidh Krishna games, because when he got it right, he delivered lethal wicket-taking deliveries. I think Prasidh is one for the future. If Bumrah is not going to be playing all matches, he can step up to play that role,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. With Jasprit Bumrah’s availability uncertain for the second Test at Edgbaston, India could be forced to rework their bowling attack. Ashwin believes Arshdeep Singh’s left-arm variation could be valuable, while also acknowledging Akash Deep’s red-ball strength.
“If we are playing a seamer in place of Bumrah, I would think of Arshdeep and bring a left-arm option. Nevertheless, let us not forget what Akash Deep has done; he can bowl well with the red ball, while Arshdeep is not a proven commodity yet,” he added. Ashwin also weighed in on India’s team balance and selection decisions, particularly around the fourth seamer and middle-order combinations. “Only debatable topic is Karun Nair–Sai Sudharsan/Nitish Kumar Reddy. How many overs will the fourth seamer give? How good is Reddy’s batting form? I know for a fact that the Indian team management rates Nitish Kumar Reddy very highly.”
Poll
Should Prasidh Krishna be given more chances in the Indian team?
India’s bowling looked sharp only in patches during the first Test, with Bumrah carrying the bulk of the workload. As workload management looms large for him across the long series, eyes will be on how India rotates its pace unit ahead of the Edgbaston Test.