India's T20I campaign against Ireland began on a disappointing note after the visitors suffered a 34-run defeat in the series opener in Belfast on Friday, June 26. Chasing 183, the Men in Blue failed to build substantial partnerships and eventually fell short, with their bowling performance earlier in the innings also coming under criticism.
Among the bowlers, Prasidh Krishna endured a difficult outing. The Gujarat Titans pacer finished with figures of 0/57 in his four overs, conceding runs at an economy rate of 14.25 to emerge as India's most expensive bowler of the match.
Also Read: WATCH: England's World Cup-winning cricketer makes baseball debut, claims a strikeout
Aakash Chopra raises concern over Prasidh Krishna's economy
Former India opener Aakash Chopra pointed to Krishna's T20I record while analysing the defeat, suggesting that although the fast bowler has shown the ability to pick up wickets, his inability to contain runs has become a worrying trend.
Reviewing the match on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that Krishna has claimed eight wickets in six T20Is but continues to leak runs at an economy rate exceeding 11 per over.
"He has taken eight wickets. So he is a bit of a wicket-taker, but look at the economy. He concedes 11.5 runs per over... that's way too much. So that has become a cause for concern for sure."
The former India batter also questioned India's tactical approach, suggesting there were opportunities to rotate to other bowling options during the innings.
Tough start to India's Ireland series
Prasidh Krishna's expensive spell added to India's struggles with the ball as Ireland posted a competitive total before successfully defending it. The defeat handed the hosts a memorable victory while exposing areas India will need to address before the remainder of the series.
Also Read: 'It didn’t happen...' Abhishek Sharma points out India's biggest mistake after Ireland upset
Despite the disappointing performance, Krishna remains one of India's genuine pace options capable of generating bounce and extracting wickets. However, with T20 cricket placing equal emphasis on economy and wicket-taking ability, the fast bowler will be eager to bounce back quickly and improve his control over line and length in the upcoming matches.