Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28 (IANS): India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna has described teammate Virat Kohli’s brilliant unbeaten 139, giving them an eight-wicket win over the West Indies as unbelievable, while adding that playing alongside the talismanic batter gives a surreal feeling.
Kohli left the Greenfield International Stadium dazzled when he smashed his 55th ODI century and became only the second batter in history to cross 15,000 men’s ODI runs in the format after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
“It was unbelievable. Sitting outside we were thinking, what do we bowl to him at that moment? He was striking the ball really, really well. All of us have grown up watching Virat Kohli and to see him do what he did today was unbelievable. I think all of us were excited about it,” said Prasidh at the conclusion of the game.
Turning to his own performance, where he took 2-60, Prasidh credited clear communication and role clarity within the Indian dressing room for his recent consistency in 50-over cricket. Having broken into the ODI setup in 2021, Prasidh has emerged as India’s leading wicket-taker in the 50-over format this year through 15 scalps from eight matches.
“Every single session we go in, we are looking to improve at something and every game as well poses a different kind of a challenge. When you come in knowing what exactly has to be done, there is clarity within the team and in me as to what I do when I come in, there is enough communication going on. So all of those things accumulate and help me bowl well,” he said.
Heading the Indian pace bowling attack alongside relatively inexperienced options in Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the ODI series opener, especially with Mohammed Siraj left out, Prasidh highlighted the importance of existing IPL camaraderie helping them ace the challenge.
“Gurnoor and I have spent two years now at Gujarat Titans. So I kind of know we have that rapport. Most importantly, it’s the ability that you have within the team to talk to each other, and that happens. We have been working on communicating even during games.
“And knowing each other personally helps, because you know what somebody’s working on, what somebody’s good at, what his strengths and not-so-strengths are. So that just helps each other when you’re under pressure and you can just go chat to each other and help them out,” he added.
With an intense battle brewing for fast-bowling spots ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup, Prasidh welcomed the healthy competition within the squad. “It’s great. We are seeing a lot of fast bowlers coming in and it’s really good for the Indian cricket team, honestly. You keep pushing each other.
“Every time we go into nets, we know the kind of bowlers that we’re bowling amongst. And, yeah, that really helps. You’re always communicating with each other, trying to push each other to do better and I would say Indian cricket, in terms of fast bowling, is in pretty good hands,” he concluded.
