Prasidh Krishna Vows to Sharpen Bowling Accuracy and Control Run Rate After Headingley Defeat

Prasidh Krishna Aims to Improve Lengths and Economy Rate

Prasidh Krishna, with only four Test appearances, is already focused on refining his game. His current economy rate of 5.07 after 90 overs is a key area he wants to improve.

That concern was amplified during the defeat at Headingley, where Krishna's economy was 6.28, and Shardul Thakur's was 5.56. As the bowlers tasked with relieving the pressure, neither was effective after Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj completed their spells.

After an expensive outing in Leeds, the 29-year-old Prasidh Krishna is keen to make amends © Getty

"Every time I come into bowl, I'm definitely looking to bowl a maiden and I'm not really trying to give away boundaries or anything," Krishna stated. He acknowledged that at Headingley, the fast outfield and his own imperfect lengths and lines contributed to the high run rate. He added, "Some of them were edges, some of them I tried bowling bouncers, I ended up giving runs."

Krishna emphasized his commitment to the team's goals, "So I think somebody in the team had to do it, and if I sit back and say, 'I want to look at my numbers, what my economy is,' and not really look at the wickets, it cost me a 4 and a 6, and then Jamie Smith got out, so if it means that I do that and get a wicket, I'm happy to do it, but definitely every time I come on to the bowl, I am looking to keep the economy down and build the pressure up."

He further added, "I had a few conversations with a few of them about this game. I definitely would want to bring that [economy] down to whatever best I can do, and yeah, I think I'm learning as well, I can't say anything, it's up to me, it's my responsibility to get better, and that's what I'm trying, that's what I'm working on, and I just want to make sure I put in the right kind of work and come back here and put up better numbers."

Krishna also addressed his bowling lengths, noting that he bowled a higher proportion of short deliveries than ideal during the Test. While this strategy earned him three wickets, it also resulted in a high concession rate of 7.54. He explained this was partly due to his reluctance to bowl fuller and risk being driven easily.

"No, I think if I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be, that 6 to 8 [metre length] is ideal. Yeah, that's what I would say. I think the second innings got slightly better because again, the wicket was slightly slower. I had to pitch a few slightly behind it and then go slightly fuller when I'm trying to get a wicket."

"So yeah, I definitely did not bowl the lengths that I wanted. Yeah, I think so... not wanting to float it up there is definitely one of the reasons, and also, it honestly took me some time to get used to the slope, that's why, yeah, no reasons why I shouldn't be able to do it as a professional, but I take complete responsibility about it, and maybe I'll do it better next time," Krishna stated.

With Jasprit Bumrah expected to miss at least two of the remaining four Tests as part of a workload management plan, Krishna faces increased responsibility in both attack and defense.

"What the culture that we guys have created is we are learning off each other, no matter who's there, who's around. He's [Bumrah] been talking to all of us all though, even before coming here."

"At least for me, I've been part of this team for a few years now, so the conversations are still going on. One thing you cannot get is experience, that you have to do it yourself, and yeah, I think all of us are excited. If you look at the team, everybody is here, Siraj has played a lot of games, he's going to continue playing, and then whoever comes in, or whatever happens later, it's a great experience, and it's an opportunity for us to be here."

Beyond his bowling, Krishna is also aware of the need to contribute more with the bat, especially after India's batting collapses at Headingley. The lower-order batsmen have been working hard in the nets, and Krishna is focused on placing a higher value on his wicket.

"As the lower order batsmen, we definitely are working on it... if you look at our nets session, we are putting in the work, I think it is about putting your mind in there as well, making sure you trust yourself, trust the skill that you have, and be there at the crease for a little longer, and then the numbers and the runs are going to show, and we are working towards it."