When the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy was about to begin, and it was confirmed officially by head coach Gautam Gambhir that Jasprit Bumrah would be playing three out of the five Tests, the instant thought that came to mind was – How would India survive the two matches without him? Mohammed Shami was missing, and Mohammed Siraj wasn't in the best of form. To make up for the depleted stock, India added Harshit Rana and then Anshul Kamboj to the squad and even brought back Shardul Thakur for the first time in over a year. That's how big a concern it was.
Fast forward to today, India levelled the five-Test series against England 2-2, and the two matches that they won are without Bumrah. Take a bow, Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to give India their narrowest win, by six runs, in terms of runs in Test cricket. Siraj and Prasidh combined to scalp 17 out of the 20 England wickets to fall, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings, sparked by some Miya Magic. Besides Siraj taking 9 wickets in the Oval Test, Prasidh emerged as the perfect supporting act with eight scalps of his own. Trolled, slammed and whatnot for leaking runs in the Headingley and Edgbaston Tests, Prasidh justified the selectors' faith in him, finishing the series with 14 wickets.
While Siraj did all that was expected of him and then some, Prasidh emerged as the surprise package. However, the job is not yet done. Prasidh's childhood coach, P. Srinivasa Murthy, has urged his former student to elevate his game to the next level and emulate none other than Bumrah. Prasidh, at 29, may not exactly be a spring chicken, but reaching the same level as Bumrah should be right up there in his priority, urged his coach.
"Prasidh complemented Siraj brilliantly in this Test. Siraj alone couldn’t have won this match. Just like batting partnerships, bowling partnerships are crucial too, and both Siraj and Prasidh shouldered that responsibility perfectly," Murthy told Mid-day.
"Prasidh should stay rooted and focus on improving in every game. He has to be fit enough to play in all formats. He should become just like Bumrah. Bumrah is wanted in every format. That should be his benchmark, aim."
Prasidh's comeback makes his coach proud
Murthy, 52, is all the more proud of Prasidh for the manner in which he resurrected himself after his sloppy showing in Leeds and Birmingham. Prasidh picked up five wickets in the series opener but conceded 220 runs as England beat India and drew first blood. At Edgbaston too, although India fought back to level the series, Prasidh's figures of 0/72 and 1/39 were very underwhelming.
He was subsequently dropped from the Manchester Test with Bumrah and Shardul returning to the XI. But given another chance in the most crucial Test of the series – the decider, Prasidh silenced all his doubters, picking 4/62 in the first innings and 4/126 in the second at the Oval.
"To be honest, from the first Test of this series to the last Test, I have seen a drastic improvement in Prasidh’s line and length. He became more controlled. In the first two Tests, he was not up to the mark, which is why he lost his place in the playing XI. But then, he worked on his bowling and has come back strongly. This shows his fine character," Murthy, who coached Prasidh at Bengaluru’s Carmel High School, added.