Excited to be part of Team India: Prasidh Krishna on earning call-up for England ODIs

On the back of some solid performances in domestic circuit, Karnataka paceman Prasidh Krishna found a place in the 18-member India squad for the ODI series against England.

Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna earned his maiden India call-up on the back of some impressive performances in the domestic circuit.

Karnataka paceman M. Prasidh Krishna, who made it to the Indian squad for the upcoming One-day International series against England, is elated with his call-up.

The 25-year-old has been rewarded for his consistent performances in white-ball cricket over the recent past.

In two of Karnataka’s most recent victorious Vijay Hazare campaigns (2017-18 & 2019-20), Prasidh picked up 17 wickets each. Earlier this month, he scalped 14 wickets in Karnataka’s run to the semifinals of the ODI tournament.

 

“I am very excited to be part of the Indian squad,” Prasidh told  Sportstar , on Friday. “The team is made of such greats and I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with them.”

Back in January 2020, Virat Kohli had singled out Prasidh as a “surprise package” leading up to the ICC World T20 in Australia, which eventually got postponed.

 

“I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia. Someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce. Prasidh has done well in the domestic arena. It is a great luxury to have this group of bowlers in all formats. Looking at the World Cup, we have enough options,” Kohli had said.

Prasidh first made news with a five-wicket haul on debut, against Bangladesh-A in 2015. But, such was Karnataka’s fast-bowling riches that he had to remain as an understudy to the likes of R. Vinay Kumar, S. Aravind and Abhimanyu Mithun.

Prasidh Krishna represents the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL .

 

Two years ago, things finally seemed like opening up for Prasidh after Aravind’s retirement and Vinay Kumar’s move to Pondicherry, but injuries laid him low. So much so that Prasidh has played just eight first-class games in the last five full seasons.

A stress fracture in his left leg towards the end of 2019 hampered him while an elbow niggle limited him to just six games in IPL 2020 held in the UAE. But Prasidh, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), chose to see the bright side of things.

 

“I am happy I went through the grind and faced all the difficulties I did,” he said. 

“The experience that it gives you is invaluable. Vijay Hazare went well for me recently. And I should also thank Karnataka for helping me with this.

“I am not building any expectations. I just want to express myself and not lose out on the enjoyment,” he added.