“Prasidh Krishna was rushing the batsmen, it was great to see” - Shikhar Dhawan

Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan has said that he was elated to see debutant fast bowler Prasidh Krishna bowling quick and unsettling the England batsmen.

The 25-year-old Krishna was hammered in his first spell by England openers Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy in the first ODI in Pune. However, he recovered brilliantly from that setback to end with excellent figures of 4 for 51.

Speaking about Prasidh Krishna’s impressive debut, Dhawan said at a virtual press conference after India’s 66-run triumph:

“It was a great team effort. Prasidh Krishna especially (bowled very well). The pace at which he was bowling and the bounce he was getting, he was rushing the batsmen. It was great to see, especially in his first match. As a debutant, everyone feels the pressure.. But Krunal Pandya did well as a debutant.”

Dhawan went on to praise medium-pacer Shardul Thakur who, once again, was among the wickets, finishing with 3 for 37. Like Prasidh Krishna, Thakur also recovered from a pasting in his initial overs. The Indian opener said about the Mumbai pacer:

"With Shardul (Thakur), I feel that his confidence has gone quite up. He is a very smart cricketer, and he reads the game quite well. He is always getting us the breakthroughs which we need at the right time, with his skill and smartness. I feel he is in a great zone, and he is enjoying his cricket. I am really happy to see that the fast bowlers are getting us the breakthroughs. Feels great.”

For his gutsy 9️⃣8️⃣, @SDhawan25 is the Man of the Match tonight 💪🏻#TeamIndia #INDvENG @Paytm pic.twitter.com/i8G3DJwJsj

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 23, 2021

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I want to be called a hit-the-deck bowler: Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna got the big wickets of Jason Roy (46) and Ben Stokes (1) in his debut match and later added the scalps of Sam Billings and Tom Curran, the last one sealing the win for India.

Speaking to the host broadcaster after the match, Prasidh Krishna said that he wanted to bowl in good areas:

“I didn't start off well; they went hard, but we took wickets in a cluster. I just wanted to hit good areas. I thought after the third over, I can't bowl full and hit the good lengths. As a bowling unit, we were outstanding today. I want to be called a hit-the-deck bowler, I think I'm better at it. I will go back, work on my lengths, and come back. I hope I can do it for the team for long. From the beginning, even if we are going for runs, the talk was to pick up a wicket”.

Superb start for @prasidh43! 👌👌A debut to remember 🔝#TeamIndia #INDvENG @Paytm pic.twitter.com/nqLxrznfWh

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 23, 2021

Prasidh Krishna’s 4 for 51 are now the best figures by an Indian player on their ODI debut, bettering Noel David’s 3 for 21 back in 1997.