Prasidh Krishna

Having been coached by Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Academy and by Jeff Thompson at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence, Prasidh Krishna has seen it all in a short career-span so far.

Having idolized Brett Lee, Prasidh was handed his first class debut for Karnataka against the touring Bangladesh A side. The Karnataka pacer took 5 for 49 and made a good impression against the international side. 

His breakthrough season arrived in the 2017/18 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Krishna ended the campaign with 17 wickets in 8 matches and was the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He was particularly good in the final against Saurashtra, registering figures of 3 for 37.

From a net bowler helping the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsmen prepare against fast bowling, Prasidh Krishna went on to wear the KKR jersey and earn plaudits from the team management and commentariat. He caught the eye of KKR management when he troubled the two explosive batsmen of the KKR lineup - Russell and Lynn. When the KKR setup heard the news of Nagarkoti getting ruled out of the IPL 2018, the little-known man until then from Karnataka earned a call up into the KKR squad.

He fulfilled the expectations and promises shown before his debut for the franchise and proved to be a key wicket-taker by picking 10 wickets from 7 matches, albeit at a higher economy rate of 9.28 runs per over. The next IPL season could not be as productive for Krishna as he went off the radar and could only scalp out only 4 wickets from 11 matches with a dismal economy rate of 9.34 runs per over.

In the 2021 season, Prasidh struggled with his line and length and only managed to pick up 4 wickets in the 6 matches that he played. However, the speedster was retained ahead of the IPL 2021 season by the KKR management.

In March 2021, the Bangalore-born received his maiden India call-up, and was included in the ODI squad for the series against England. In the second ODI against the Three Lions, Prasidh received his maiden international cap and impressed on his debut. He picked four crucial English wickets and helped India turn the match around its head. Thereby, the Karnataka speedster became the only Indian bowler to scalp four wickets on ODI debut. 

For someone who started out as a net bowler, Krishna has come a long way in his cricketing journey. He bowls at a good pace and has the ability to swing the ball away from the right hander. Having received his maiden international call-up Prasidh will look to impress the Indian tea management with his skillset. 

(As of March 2021)