"Both the left & right sides were affected" - Prasidh Krishna opens up on long injury lay-off ahead of international return

As Indian pace bowler Prasidh Krishna prepares to return to international cricket, he has reflected on his struggles during his time on the sidelines. He credited the NCA for helping him take care of all the surgical procedures and efficient recovery.

18 months after making his international debut in March 2021, Krishna suffered a lower-back injury. He last played in August 2022 and was named in the squad for the unofficial Test series against New Zealand before injury ruled him out.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, here's what Krishna had to say about the injury he had in September:

"It began at the end of September-early October. I was doing everything except bowling for the first eight to 12 weeks. Then we slowly introduced gym activities, where I was running, I was jumping around, I was doing a lot of burpees, I was working on my running technique and how the body can be brought to a stable base."

"We had a repeat scan after eight weeks, and it showed there was a little bit of healing that was happening, which was a positive sign for us. And then I started bowling like how I would, but at low intensity."

The Rajasthan Royals seamer recalled that he was to come back in January itself and slowly transition himself back to international cricket. Nevertheless, the youngster said a new set of injuries resurfaced and explained:

"In January I was bowling at full tilt and we were looking at a time frame of around end-January to early February for my comeback. The idea was to play a few games, and then the IPL would happen. The review scan was to happen mid-January. Although I was bowling full tilt, the scan showed there was a stress reaction in the right lumbar spine as well."

"Now because both the left and right sides were affected, it needed to be addressed. I was in the hospital for three days and in the country for another two weeks, just in case something went wrong. Then I flew back to India, had time off for four to six weeks, and then the process of rehab started again - getting back into running, getting back into bowling and all of that."

The 27-year-old will mark his international return in the T20I series against Ireland this month. In another massive boost for India, Jasprit Bumrah will also return in national colours after a long injury lay-off.

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"I was on my PlayStation a lot most days" - Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna. (Image Credits: Getty)

When asked how he spent his time during his recovery, Prasidh Krishna revealed that he kept himself occupied initially by playing video games, before realizing he needed to use the time more productively. He elaborated:

"Initially when I got injured, I was on my PlayStation a lot most days, maybe five to six hours at a stretch at times. Later, I realised it's just a waste of time and I need to use my time better. I ended up reading a few books, listening to a lot of podcasts. Rajasthan Royals introduced me to a couple of people who did breathing patterns, a coach and a nutritionist who played a very important role in me being me today."

In 14 ODIs, Krishna has bagged 25 scalps at 23.92.