Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said he felt bad for Prasidh Krishna who had an ordinary outing on Day 2 of his debut Test, the Boxing Day clash against South Africa in Centurion, adding that he felt the pacer was asked to go against his natural style.
Prasidh bowled 15 overs on a helpful pitch at SuperSport Park and conceded 61 runs and picked up a wicket. The youngster lacked control on his debut as South Africa made hay with the bat, finishing with 255 for 5, leading India’s first innings total by 11 runs.
Prasidh Krishna picked up his maiden Test wicket in the final hour of the day’s play on Wednesday when he bowled a length ball that ripped off the surface and took the edge of wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne. However, the start to his Test career was far from impressive.
| SA vs IND, 1st Test Score |
Prasidh went searching for swing in his first two spells, leaking as many as 10 boundaries in his first 10 overs. Prasidh’s spell after the lunch break was crucial in helping South Africa run away with momentum after the hosts started the session at 49 for 1. Prasidh and Shardul Thakur bowled in tandem right after the Lunch break even as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj waited for their turn, much to the surprise of quite a few.
Dean Elgar, who finished on 140 not out, fed on Prasidh Krishna’s inconsistency as he tore into the young Karnataka fast bowler. South Africa raced past 100, thanks to a tactical blunder from captain Rohit Sharma. Elgar and debutant David Bedingham added 131 runs for the 4th wicket as South Africa ended the day in a position of strength.
“You have got fo feel for him, because you got the impression that he was asked to do something that is not his natural style. If you see the way he bowled his last spell, you could see he is comfortable hitting the deck, just like a South African bowler,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“When he bowled his first spell, I guess the requirement from the team was to pitch the ball up. They were obsessed with getting the ball up and getting the batters to drive. That is where he struggled. But, once he got into his zone, in the end, we saw what he likes to do,” he added.
Prasidh was chosen ahead of Mukesh Kumar, who made his debut earlier this year in the West Indies, because of his height and ability to extract bounce from the pitch. However, Prasidh did not bowl a length that would helped him make the best use of the bounce-rich pitch as he bowled full-length deliveries, more often than not, in his first two spells.
Jasprit Bumrah shone with 2 wickets, including that of impressive Tony de Zorzi, while Siraj had his tail up throughout the day, picking up the crucial wickets of Aiden Markram and David Bedingham.
India will be hoping for a much-improved bowling show on Day 3 as Dean Elgar looks set for a big hundred in the first Test of his farewell series.