India’s newest pace sensation Prasidh Krishna has been received a lot of applaud from fans and cricketers for his record debut in the first ODI against England earlier this week and now it’s his senior Karnataka and national teammate KL Rahul’s turn to laud the youngster.
Prasidh, who had already made a name for himself with his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), took four wickets to contribute to Team India’s winning cause on his ODI debut against England.
Following his impressive debut, Karnataka wicketkeeper-batsman Rahul said he isn't surprised by Krishna's record-breaking debut in Pune, saying he was always very confident that the pacer would be the next player from Karnataka to make it to the highest level with a bang.
Read Also: Clive Lloyd hails the current Team India as 'The Best Indian team ever'
Rahul said at the virtual press conference: “Look, quite honestly, I am not surprised with what he (Prasidh) did yesterday (Tuesday). 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.”
Hailing Prasidh's ability to bowl fast, the right-hander said: “(He is a) tall guy (who) bowls quick, gets a lot of bounce from the wicket, and something having played with him in the last couple of seasons for Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare, I realized that he is a brave boy.”
He is also impressed by the 25-year-old’s game sense while saying the speedster will be a great asset for the Indian cricket team if he keeps on working hard.
Rahul further noted, “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 he is like I said, very brave and comes in with a lot of aggression. 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 am so happy to see that he is carrying on the same thing and he wasn't overwhelmed by the place he is in, playing his first game for the country, 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 player and as a team, a lot of us are impressed with, what he has done.”
The Punjab Kings' captain also credited the IPL for the impressive show of each newcomer like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh, and Krunal Pandya on their debut, saying the consistent show in the domestic cricket and the T20 league for years helped them a lot.
Rahul further pointed out, “I think a huge part is the IPL and the confidence that these boys come in with. And whoever has come into the team, is not because they have performed in one season of the IPL or one season of first-class cricket but it has been 2-3 years of consistent performances and at whatever level they play, or wherever they play.”
He noted, “Obviously, you would have heard Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), Ishan (Kishan) and Krunal (Pandya), in their interviews saying that they have played against most of these guys in the IPL at some point and they know how they go about their games and IPL performances have obviously given them a lot of confidence and they have carried that confidence into playing for their country.”
The keeper also believes that the team management gives confidence to the youngsters and all they want the players to continue to do the same that they are doing now.
He signed off by saying, “And it is something also the team, the management, and the environment here in the Indian team, what we try to do is to give the confidence to youngsters coming in and I feel weird calling them youngsters because we have seen them for so many years, we have seen them perform and when they come in, we want all the players to continue to do what they are doing.”
(With PTI Inputs)
