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Former opener Gautam Gambhir backed India’s decision to bring in fast bowler Prasidh Krishna as a replacement for injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the remainder of the 2023 World Cup. Gambhir opined that since India have decided to stick to playing three fast bowlers in their XI, Krishna is a good addition as a backup in the pace department.
Pandya injured his ankle while trying to stop a ball in the follow-through against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. Initially, there were hopes that he would recover in time for the backend of the World Cup, but once the extent of the injury became clear, he was ruled out of the tournament.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Gambhir asserted that bringing in Krishna for Pandya was the right move.
“Absolutely [it’s the right decision]. Why not? The reason is that the Indian team is going in with three proper seamers. I think this is the best they could have done. This is a very smart replacement because if any of the frontline bowlers suffers a niggle, Prasidh Krishna is there to replace him,” the former India opener explained.
“If you have decided to stick to the combination of five bowlers - three pacers and two spinners - then you need a backup for your fast bowlers. Prasidh Krishna was the right choice,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to reports, Pandya is unlikely to be available for India's upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, which starts on November 23.
“He is a match-winner” - S Sreesanth on Prasidh Krishna
Former India pacer S Sreesanth echoed Gambhir’s views on India’s decision to replace Pandya with Krishna. Describing Krishna as a match-winner, he stated that the fast bowler is an apt replacement for Pandya.
“India might not need a medium pacer now as the department is doing well. But Rahul [Dravid] bhai must have thought, if something happens to any of the pacers, they do not have a replacement. Shardul Thakur is there, but Prasidh Krishna is a match-winning bowler. He bowls really fast. He may not have many performances to show, but write it down, he is a match-winner and will win games for India, be it Tests, ODIs or T20Is. We should have trust in him,” Sreesanth said.
“It’s an apt decision. Hardik Pandya was doing better with the ball than bat. I haven’t seen Prasidh Krishna bat, but he is a brilliant, world class bowler,” the former cricketer concluded.
Krishna has played 17 ODIs for India, claiming 29 wickets at an average of 25.58 and an economy rate of 5.60.
