Prasidh Krishna Targets Bowling Improvements After Costly Headingley Test

Prasidh Krishna is determined to improve his bowling lengths and economy rate following the recent Test matches. The bowler acknowledged the need for better control and consistency to contribute effectively to the team.

After representing India in four Tests, Prasidh Krishna is focusing on addressing his economy rate of 5.07, which he considers an area needing improvement.

After an expensive outing in Leeds, the 29-year-old Prasidh Krishna is keen to make amends © Getty

Headingley Performance Under Scrutiny

The Headingley Test saw Krishna concede runs at 6.28 an over, while Shardul Thakur went at 5.56. This inability to maintain pressure in the middle overs compounded the issues for India, especially after the spells of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Krishna stated, "Every time I come into bowl, I'm definitely looking to bowl a maiden and I'm not really trying to give away boundaries or anything. The outfield [at Headingley] was fast, the lengths, lines that I bowled were not perfect to be honest at most times, and they took me on."

He further explained, "So I think somebody in the team had to do it, and if I sit back and say, 'I want to look at my numbers, what my economy is,' and not really look at the wickets, it cost me a 4 and a 6, and then Jamie Smith got out, so if it means that I do that and get a wicket, I'm happy to do it, but definitely every time I come on to the bowl, I am looking to keep the economy down and build the pressure up."

Taking Responsibility

Krishna emphasized his commitment to improving his game. "I had a few conversations with a few of them about this game. I definitely would want to bring that [economy] down to whatever best I can do, and yeah, I think I'm learning as well, I can't say anything, it's up to me, it's my responsibility to get better, and that's what I'm trying, that's what I'm working on, and I just want to make sure I put in the right kind of work and come back here and put up better numbers."

Addressing Length Concerns

A closer look at his lengths reveals that Krishna bowled 104 of his 211 balls short of a good length during the Test. While this approach earned him three wickets, it also resulted in a high economy of 7.54. Krishna acknowledged that he overcompensated due to concerns about bowling too full.

"No, I think if I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be, that 6 to 8 [metre length] is ideal. Yeah, that's what I would say. I think the second innings got slightly better because again, the wicket was slightly slower. I had to pitch a few slightly behind it and then go slightly fuller when I'm trying to get a wicket," he elaborated.

"So yeah, I definitely did not bowl the lengths that I wanted. Yeah, I think so... not wanting to float it up there is definitely one of the reasons, and also, it honestly took me some time to get used to the slope, that's why, yeah, no reasons why I shouldn't be able to do it as a professional, but I take complete responsibility about it, and maybe I'll do it better next time," Krishna added.

Stepping Up in Bumrah's Absence

With Jasprit Bumrah set to miss at least two of the remaining Tests as part of workload management, Krishna is expected to shoulder more responsibility.

Krishna noted the team culture of learning from each other, mentioning that Bumrah has been actively involved in discussions with the bowlers. He added, "One thing you cannot get is experience, that you have to do it yourself, and yeah, I think all of us are excited. If you look at the team, everybody is here, Siraj has played a lot of games, he's going to continue playing, and then whoever comes in, or whatever happens later, it's a great experience, and it's an opportunity for us to be here."

Focus on Batting Contribution

Beyond his bowling, Krishna is also focusing on contributing with the bat, especially after India's batting collapses at Headingley.

"As the lower order batsmen, we definitely are working on it... if you look at our nets session, we are putting in the work, I think it is about putting your mind in there as well, making sure you trust yourself, trust the skill that you have, and be there at the crease for a little longer, and then the numbers and the runs are going to show, and we are working towards it."