Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Prasidh’s spell augurs well in 2027 WC build-up
Jasprit Bumrah shone in his ODI return, leading India to victory as Krishna's strong performance boosts hopes for the 2027 World Cup preparation.
Although he was playing his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup, the Indian think tank would be pleased with how Jasprit Bumrah bowled on Tuesday. Bumrah’s quality though was never in doubt.
After skipper Shubman Gill declared that Tuesday’s Edgbaston game kicks off India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, he and coach Gautam Gambhir would be happy to see how the other players rallied around Bumrah to secure their first win of the UK tour.
There were many notable performances in the six-wicket win, but with the ODI World Cup scheduled in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia — where pitches offer pace and bounce — the team management should derive confidence from the performance of the pace attack. While Bumrah’s brilliance shone through, the team is also looking to build a strong support unit around him.
It is not about one-off performances, consistency is the key. Prasidh Krishna is one of the pacers pushing his case for next year’s tournament.
On Tuesday, the way Krishna performed as Bumrah’s new-ball partner, delivering a double-wicket maiden over, would have given the management confidence. His good show followed a fifer (5/23) in his previous game against Afghanistan at Chennai last month.
Having made his ODI debut in 2021, the 30-year-old Karnataka bowler has gained good experience, taking 47 wickets in 26 ODIs. Against England, he shared the new ball with Bumrah for the first seven overs and they built pressure from both ends to keep England down to 20/0. At that stage, Bumrah’s figures read 4-0-8-0 and Krishna’s 3-1-8-0.
Krishna’s wicket-taking ability stands out. His strike rate of 26.32 compares favourably with the best in the world. On a lively Edgbaston surface, the tall bowler used every bit of his 6’3” frame to generate extra bounce bowling Test lengths. His attacking approach was to the fore when Gill brought him back in the 17th over. Krishna delivered a double wicket maiden, taking the prized scalps of Jos Buttler and Sam Curran to leave the hosts reeling at 80/5 in 16.4 overs.
He finished with a tidy spell in the slog overs to return 10-2-50-2, showing the kind of impact he could have with his hit-the-deck bowling. It’s a tactic that can serve India well in the World Cup. That’s why India are going big on taller fast bowlers, including Gurnoor Brar and Harshit Rana, and Krishna is the most experienced among them.
Against Afghanistan at Chennai, he wiped out the top order in a four-over spell in the Powerplay for figures of 5-2-6-4 before finishing with a match haul of 5/23.
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who has worked with Krishna since his India A days, says he is the best option for the hit the deck surfaces.
“I have seen him from the India A he was part of, and the Test series he played in South Africa. From the team perspective we always felt we wanted the variation and a bowler who could hit the deck. We had bowlers with different qualities, but especially if you take the Kookaburra ball, by the 29-30 overs, the seam gets flat, the swing is not so much. Then it is about (having a) hit the deck kind to get a little more from the surface. So, that was the whole idea of drafting him in the squad,” said Mhambrey, who was the India bowling coach from 2021 to August, 2024, in a chat after Krishna’s spell against Afghanistan.
“Over the period, he’s got a lot more refined, much more accurate. Hitting the deck consistently, along with the bounce he generates, works in his favour. He does hunt for wickets where he is looking to go fuller and trying stuff. He is very clear with his thinking, and just keeps it simple.”
Krishna was in the selection frame for the 2023 ODI World Cup until a lumbar stress fracture ruled him out. A fit and firing Krishna is now pushing his case for the next edition.
“It is tailor made for him (SA pitches) because it is not going to swing much. We don’t know who the selection committee will want in the mix, but Bumrah will be around. But you can’t bank on Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj all the time. You need back-up, the next guy has to be experienced as well to be able to take on that responsibility. A couple of years down the line he will have enough ODI games, you are maturing as a bowler as well and ready to take on that responsibility.”
