Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has expressed his opinion that Indian pace bowler Prasidh Krishna is not alone in having a shaky start to his Test career. On Day 2 of his debut, the Indian rookie struggled to make an impact for the team, conceding 61 runs in 15 overs with an economy rate of 4.06, while taking the wicket of wicket-keeper batsman Kyle Verreynne.
It was a difficult day for Prasidh Krishna in Centurion, as he was leaking runs and struggling to maintain consistency in his line and length. However, he did manage to get one delivery to bounce off a shorter length far more than Verreynne anticipated. Both Prasidh and Thakur provided easy runs with some inconsistent bowling throughout the day.
Speaking on Star Sports, Sanjay Bangar compared Prasidh Krishna’s Test debut to that of Jasprit Bumrah, stating that even Bumrah was taken for runs on his debut in 2018. Bumrah, who made his Test debut in 2018 against South Africa in Cape Town, conceded 73 runs in 19 overs while picking up the lone wicket of former South African skipper AB de Villiers.
“I feel this can happen. This has happened to somebody like Jasprit Bumrah as well. I still remember the first Test which happened in Cape Town. On Day 1, he went for 60-70 runs. After that he resorted to his natural length, which is hitting the length hard,” Sanjay Bangar said.
Prasidh Krishna struggled in his first two spells, giving away up to ten boundaries in his initial ten overs. However, his spell after the lunch break proved crucial in enabling South Africa to gain momentum after starting the session at 49 for 1. At the end of the day, South Africa had taken control of the game with 255-5 at the end of Day 2, with Dean Elgar and debutant David Bedingham combining for 131 runs for the fourth wicket.
Prasidh Krishna Might Not Come into Great Effect In The First Spell Itself – Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar has praised Prasidh Krishna for his ability to hit the deck hard and trouble the opposition. He also stated that Prasidh bowled to his strengths in the second spell on Day 2 and has also pointed out that Prasidh is not alone in having a below-average Test debut.
“That’s what you saw, the clear point of difference that the team management was hoping from Prasidh might not come into great effect in the first spell itself. But in the second spell, we saw if he can stick to that length of hitting the deck hard and not go searching for swing, he can still be a handful. Early days for Prasidh, but he is not the only one who has had a sort of a below-average start to his Test career,” Sanjay Bangar added.
In the match, Dean Elgar scored his 14th Test century and helped South Africa take an 11-run lead into the Boxing Day Test against India. KL Rahul contributed to India’s success by smashing his eighth Test century in the first innings, which helped India score a total of 245 runs. As the match progresses, South Africa will look to improve on their 11-run advantage from Day 3.
