India pacer Prasidh Krishna was in top form on Day 2 of the ongoing fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match, at the SCG on Saturday. The pacer struck thrice, conceding three 42 runs in 15 overs, at an economy of 2.8. Krishna also managed to bag three maidens.
Krishna’s performance has been particularly praised due to the departure of Bumrah during Day 2, as he left for scans. Krishna bagged the wickets of Steve Smith, Alex Carey and Beau Webster. Speaking after the final session, Krishna credited India bowling coach and South African legend Morne Morkel for his influence.
“Morne and myself, we kind of have a lot of discussions about what has to be done, and things are going well for now,” he said.
Explaining his bowling tactics at the SCG, he revealed, “The ball is keeping low sometimes, but there is enough bounce for us to be in the game and look for those edges. Try and beat them on either side of the bat.”
The Karnataka seamer also had special praise for the Indian team’s analyst, who helped him during lunch. “When I got back from lunch, I actually looked at where I was bowling. I sat with the analyst and we had a better idea of what my reference point is. When I came in to bowl next, that really helped,” he said.
Krishna’s efforts saw Australia fold for 181 in the first innings, in response to India’s 185. In the second innings, India reached 141/6 at Stumps on Day 2, and lead by 145 runs.
Prasidh Krishna on his international comeback
Krishna also made his return to the Indian Test setup after almost a year, due to back surgery. Revealing that domestic cricket helped him get back to shape, he said, “I did get a bit of confidence bowling in Australia and having played some red-ball cricket previously in the Duleep Trophy. When I got the ball in hand, there were a bit of nerves initially, but I have enough people in the team to discuss what could be better.”