"I wouldn't say is a very talented bowler" - Bharat Arun's stunning take on Team India pacer post ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has labelled pacer Prasidh Krishna as not a talented bowler. The former Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach said that the Karnataka pacer's lengths could have been corrected on the recent tour of England. Krishna struggled in the series opener at Leeds before improving in the second Test match at Edgbaston.

Arun feels that India faced an issue of having too many bowlers to choose from, and as a result, it affected the mindset. He told The Times of India:

“Let's take Prasidh as an example. In the first Test against England, everybody felt that he bowled too short, and those were not the lengths to be bowled. In the next Test in the second innings, he made the adjustment. He came back to bowling good lengths, the right lengths in England, and when he realised that he was dropped from the next match. In all fairness, I can understand he was dropped because Bumrah came in the next game."

"When Anshul Kamboj flies from India, and when you already have somebody who has played two Test matches, who is in England with the team, and who is capable of bowling 140 clicks, there was enough time for you to work on him and get his lengths right in England. Prasidh Krishna was, I wouldn’t say, he is a very talented bowler. Somebody who can bowl 140 clicks consistently is a talent. The choice of length was wrong, which could have been worked on."

Krishna was omitted from India's playing XI for the third and fourth Test but was called for the fifth Test at The Oval. He claimed a match haul of 8/188 to help the tourists clinch a thrilling six-run win.

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Bharat Arun stresses the need to have a process-driven mindset over an outcome-driven mindset

Bharat Arun feels that the competition in Indian cricket can make fast bowlers lose their focus and worry more about the outcome than the process. He said that failing to perform can tend to work on their minds, and when the focus shifts to the outcome, desperation could creep in. Bharat Arun said:

"The biggest problem is the problem of too many in our country, whereas in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, there are fewer cricketers who play the sport. So when you identify someone, you are given all the patience, you are given all the backing, so that they flower and blossom into a good player. But in India, we expect them to be ready-made."

"Somebody else is also waiting. The minute you fail, it works on their mind. When the next match more than focusing on the process their focus is more on the outcome. When the focus is on the outcome, you tend to get desperate," he added.

Bharat Arun served as India's bowling coach over two stints, first between 2014 and 2016 and later between 2017 and 2021. During his tenures, India's fast bowling stocks rose to new heights as they challenged the best teams, both at home and overseas.