Prasidh Krishna or Mukesh Kumar - who should India pick for 1st Test vs South Africa?

Team India will face South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series, starting on Tuesday, December 26. The Men in Blue are on the lookout to win their first-ever series in South Africa, and their previous set of attempts will give them a lot of confidence.

The second-string side performed well in the white-ball leg of the tour, winning the ODI series and drawing the T20I rubber. The Test series comes across as the highlight of the tour as it marks one of India's toughest assignments on the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The visitors will be without a set of players for the upcoming series, namely Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mohammed Shami, with the latter being the key name. The right-arm pacer has been ruled out due to an injury, and his bowling ability on the bouncy and pace-friendly conditions in South Africa will be sorely missed.

As a result, India will have to look for a third frontline seamer in their attack to complement Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. There are two realistic options in the squad in the form of Prasidh Krishna and Mukesh Kumar, who have their own diverse set of attributes, to complete the pace attack.

On that note, let us take a look at who should India pick for the first Test vs South Africa between Prasidh Krishna and Mukesh Kumar.

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#1 Form

Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna have been part of the second-string white ball side for a while. The pair were part of the bowling attack during the home T20I series against Australia in November.

While Mukesh played the white-ball series against South Africa, Prasidh Krishna was part of the India A squad that took on South Africa A in the shadow tour in Benoni.

Mukesh played in all of the white-ball matches in India's tour of South Africa. He had a solid T20I series, claiming three wickets, and was at his disciplined defensive best in the ODI series as well, where he took one wicket with a good economy rate.

Krishna, on the other hand, had a horrid home series against Australia. He struggled immensely with the dew and the flat pitches. He conceded a record 68 runs in the team's loss to the Aussies in Guwahati.

However, he was excellent for India A, as he picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings in the drawn fixture against South Africa A. His spell of 5-43 also included a hat-trick, and he returned with figures of 0-28 in the second innings.

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#2 Strengths

Red-ball cricket is arguably the strength of Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna, compared to the other formats.

Mukesh with his impeccable line and length is tailor-made for Test cricket and can test the batters' patience by probing on a specific area. He also has decent pace and the ability to move the ball around, making him a solid addition to the bowling unit.

Krishna's tall frame comes across as a huge X-Factor and sets him apart from the rest, almost as an ode to Ishant Sharma. He has already shown what he brings to the table with his recent performance for India A. With Bumrah and Siraj bringing pace and movement with them, Prasidh Krishna has the element of bounce that rounds up the bowling unit.

The pitches in South Africa are perfect for Krishna to showcase his ability. The Karnataka pacer has been in the Test squad pipeline for ages, but injuries, form, and an already stacked Indian pace attack have blocked his path.

The upcoming tour marks a perfect opportunity across all fronts for him to make his chance count.

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#3 What does the team need at the minute?

Team India have a menacing fast bowling attack already with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj raring to go, but for the final piece of the puzzle, they will be eager to get someone who brings something different as well as something perfect for the conditions on offer.

Mukesh Kumar was solid on his Test debut, but the attributes of Prasidh Krishna are too tempting to resist. While both might prove to be solid options as the third seamer, it is the Karnataka-pacer who arguably is the better choice considering all factors.

His extra pace and his tall frame along with the extra bounce supersede Mukesh's accuracy for this particular set of conditions in South Africa.

Who will make it to the playing XI between Prasidh Krishna and Mukesh Kumar in the absence of Mohammed Shami? Let us know what you think.