“He is somebody who will catch your eye” - KL Rahul on Prasidh Krishna

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the second ODI against England, KL Rahul was full of praise for his Karnataka teammate Prasidh Krishna, who made his debut in the first match. The batsman went on to reveal that he wasn’t surprised by Prasidh’s debut performance for Team India.

“Look, quite honestly, I am not surprised by what he [Prasidh Krishna] did in yesterday’s match. I was always very confident that the next player that is going to come out of Karnataka, is going to be Prasidh. We weren’t of the same batch, but I have watched him play a lot of junior cricket and in the nets, he is somebody who will catch your eye,” said KL Rahul.

Prasidh Krishna had a roller-coaster of a debut in the first ODI against England. He did not get off to the best of starts, as aggressive openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow smashed him all around the park. Krishna went on to concede 22 runs in his third over in international cricket.

However, the 25-year-old returned for a second spell and ended up breaking the formidable opening partnership between Roy and Bairstow. Prasidh Krishna showed commendable maturity and picked up wickets at regular intervals.

He went on to finish the match with a four-wicket haul, becoming the only Indian to do so on his ODI debut and breaking a 28-year-old record in the process.

"He has a great sense of the game": KL Rahul full of praise for Prasidh Krishna's comeback on debut

KL Rahul, who finally enjoyed a return to form after a difficult few weeks, was impressed by Prasidh Krishna's ability to bounce back from his underwhelming start.

“We saw in the last game, he was trying to have a word or two with the batsmen and he enjoys being in a contest and that’s something I love about him. I’m so happy to see that he’s carrying on the same thing and he wasn’t overwhelmed by the place he is in. I am sure there will be a lot of nerves but the way he came back after the first three overs, got those crucial wickets, so these are the qualities that a lot of us are impressed with what he’s done,” KL Rahul continued in the virtual press conference.

The wicket-keeper batsman also added:

“He has a great sense of the game. It’s not just his skill but how he understands and reads the game. He is a very keen learner and like I said, very brave and comes in with a lot of aggression.”

KL Rahul believes the IPL has helped newcomers on the international circuit grasp opportunities with both hands when given a chance. He mentioned that most of the new additions to the Team India squad have already competed against the top English players in the IPL and, as a result, are better prepared for the challenge.