The tall, lanky fast bowler, Prasidh Krishna made his case to be selected on the bouncy pitch at Perth Stadium for first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Krishna on Day 3 of the second unofficial Test contributed with a crucial knock of 26 and then dismissed opening contenders Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft for golden ducks.
On the first ball of Australia A's run chase, captain Nathan McSweeney took a single towards mid-wicket. Krishna came around the wicket to Harris. He lured him into a drive and the inside edge carried to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel who took a regulation catch. On the next delivery, Bancroft was left dumbfounded by the fuller delivery. Bancroft could not get his bat down in time and was hit on the boot. The umpire did not take a second to raise his finger as Bancroft was plumb in front. Krishna was exceptional in his first spell. He bowled four overs and conceded just six runs.
Krishna walked in to bat in the 57th over after Nitish Kumar Reddy departed for a 81-ball 38. He shared a 49-run partnership with Tanush Kotian. Krishna hit five fours in his 43-ball 29 before falling to off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli. His knock helped India A post 229 in the second innings and set a target of 168.
In India A's first innings, he contributed with a 37-ball 14 before falling to Rocchiccioli. He held on to one end while Dhruv Jurel scored 80 runs to help India A post 161 after the batting collapse. He was impressive with the ball in Australia A's first innings. He got four wickets including Harris who scored 74 runs. The 28-year-old conceded 50 runs from 16 overs and bowled six maidens.
Krishna's recent form
Krishna is part of the 18-member Test squad. He Karnataka-born bowler made his Test debut against South Africa last year. He managed to take just two wickets from two Tests. He missed several months of action due to his struggle with injuries.
Before boarding the flight to Australia, he played in Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup and one Ranji Trophy match. From four first-class games at home, he managed to take seven wickets. In the first unofficial Test against India A, he took four wickets including a three-wicket haul in the first innings. However, he wasn't impressive with the bat and got out for ducks in both innings.
