India’s ODI team looked below-par in the recently held 50-over series against South Africa. The Men in Blue suffered a 3-0 whitewash and the performances of pacers, middle-order batters came under the scanner.
With the ODI World Cup scheduled next year, India will be keen to sort out the issues so that they can get the best possible squad ready for the showpiece tournament.
Speaking on the same line, veteran cricketer Dinesh Karthik has suggested Team India to invest in two young pacers – Prasidh Krishna and Shivam Mavi.
Notably, both the bowlers have played under Karthik’s captaincy in the India Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
"About Prasidh, he is a lovely guy but he has a bit of a free spirit to his bowling. He has his own mind; he is a bit like (Ravichandran) Ashwin if I might say. He has his own mind, own ways to think. That sometimes gets the best of batsmen out but sometimes also makes him go for runs," Karthik told Cricbuzz.
"He is one of those guys who won't bowl you 10 (overs)-40 (runs) but he will definitely give you 10 (overs)-70 (runs)-2/3 wickets. He is a wicket-taker but he goes for runs because he tries for a wicket a lot. He is an attacking bowler. In many ways, he thinks on his own. That's why he is such a good death bowler - because he is not scared of getting hit. He is somebody who is very good at reacting. If somebody moves around the crease, steps out, it's not very easy to play him if you do those kind of things," he added.
"That's why he is such a good death bowler whenever he has come. The new ball is probably his lesser strength; he is a better bowler at death. But what you will see out of him is, the new ball if he gets to move, he is a terrific bowler there as well. He is somebody who I believe will definitely pick you a couple of wickets consistently without a doubt because of his bounce, because of the way he tries to get a wicket and his mindset," he further said.
Dinesh Karthik had special words reserved for Mavi, saying that the 23-year-old has the ability to swing the ball late.
"Another name that will definitely help Indian cricket is Shivam Mavi...you need someone who can bring the ball back in and he bowls 140-plus. It is sad that he is playing for a state like UP where sometimes you have so many fast bowlers, they have Bhuvi, they have Yash Dayal, then there is Shivam Mavi and I can give the entire list. So, sometimes he (Mavi) bowls first change, but he is a proper new ball bowler who can pick wickets.
"He has the ability to swing the ball late and if you see in the IPL, he has got good batsmen out. He has a bit of pace, terrific fielder and can bat a bit. These are the kind of guys I would love for Rahul Dravid to invest in because he has seen him first up," Karthik opined.
It is worth mentioning here that Prasidh Krishna was part of the Indian team in the ODI series against South Africa. He featured in the third ODI at Cape Town and returned with the figures of 3 for 59 in 9.5 overs.
Krishna is also part of the ODI squad for the upcoming series against West Indies at home, starting February 6.
