Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has lavished praise on Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna, advocating his name for the T20 World Cup in Australia to be played later this year.
The lanky quick produced a magical spell of bowling against the West Indies in the first ODI in Ahmedabad, picking up four wickets while conceding just 12 runs, in nine overs, at an unbelievable economy rate of 1.33.
He has not played T20s for India yet, but has had a sterling start to his ODI career, after making his debut against England in 2021. Harbhajan felt that Prasidh Krishna could be the ideal partner to ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah for the coveted T20 World Cup, especially after India’s disappointing exit at the 2021 edition, where the bowling was also an area of concern.
Harbhajan has worked closely with Krishna, as both of them were part of the Kolkata Knight Riders set-up for the 2021 Indian Premier League. The Punjabi spin great felt that Krishna’s ability to extract bounce is second to none, and will be a skill essential on the bouncy pitches Down Under.
“He has shown his ability today. I feel going forward we will see him in Test cricket as well. We are seeing him in ODI cricket in any case, along with that, I want to see him at the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Those are big grounds, there is extra bounce and pace in any case there and with his height and pace, I feel Team India will gain a lot there,”
Bhajji said on Star Sports.
The veteran, who only recently announced his retirement, also felt that Krishna’s high arm action, in addition to being quick, also generates a lot of bounce and will be a key weapon in Australia, where the T20 World Cup is set to take place.
Krishna has performed very consistently for his home state Karnataka in the domestic circuit and in the Premier League and is now one of the most promising fast bowlers who have made their way into the side.
Harbhajan also complimented Prasidh on his fitness and had no doubt in his mind that Krishna and Bumrah would form a deadly combo in the years to come, especially with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar not being at their best.
“As he keeps on playing, he will keep learning. When Jasprit Bumrah came, he was not as capable a bowler as he is today. If he plays regularly for six to eight months, he will become an even better bowler.
I am very impressed with him. I am sure in the coming days, the Jasprit Bumrah-Prasidh Krishna pair is going to do a lot of good for Team India,”
Harbhajan concluded.
