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The moment Prasidh Krishna was waiting for

Battling for a spot is nothing new to Prasidh as that’s exactly what he had to endure during his early days
Last Updated 19 March 2021, 14:49 IST

“I think there'll be one player who will be a surprise package. Prasidh Krishna is someone who has bowled really well in domestic cricket,” remarked Indian skipper Virat Kohli back in January 2020 on the Karnataka pacer following the second T20I versus Sri Lanka. While a lot has happened since Kohli made the statement out of the blue with many other young pacers scaling the ladder faster than Prasidh, it was only a matter of time before the talented Bengaluru pacer would earn a national call-up.

That happened on Friday morning when the 25-year-old was picked for the three-match ODI series against England starting in Pune from March 23. “Like every youngster who picks up a bat or ball, for me too the dream was to play for the country. Now that dream is close to realisation. I hope to get a game and finally realise my childhood dream of donning the Indian colours,” a delighted Prasidh told DH.

Prasidh, a consistent performer in domestic white-ball tournaments with 81 wickets from 48 List A games (Avg 23.07) and 33 scalps in 40 T20s, said Kohli’s special praise acted as a huge motivational factor.

“When Kohli praised me, I was just returning to action from injury. His praise acted as a huge motivation for me. When the captain of the Indian team praises you, you feel really good. I’ve been waiting for this moment to share the dressing room with a living legend of Indian cricket. Kohli apart, there are so many modern-day heroes in this Indian team and to share space with them would be huge. Of course, the icing on the cake would be to play a game.”

Prasidh faces stiff competition to earn that dream Indian cap. Senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the red-hot Mohammed Siraj, fast-rising T Natarajan and the all-round Shardul Thakur are his competitors. Battling for a spot is nothing new to Prasidh as that’s exactly what he had to endure during his early days with Karnataka possessing a strong pace attack comprising R Vinay Kumar, S Arvind and Abhimanyu Mithun. A product of Mount Joy Cricket Club, Prasidh said those tough early days would hold him in good stead.

"When I broke into the Karnataka team, the pace attack was extremely strong. It was great that I got to spend time with seniors like Vinay and Arvind because I learnt a lot from them. Now, when I’m trying to break into the Indian team, the pace attack is at its strongest. There are so many guys. Even debutantes are performing like seasoned practitioners. Just shows how strong our domestic structure is. Such strong competition is good for me. I will have to stay on top of my game and skills right throughout. Really looking forward to this journey."

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(Published 19 March 2021, 13:23 IST)

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