Prasidh Krishna Vows to Sharpen Bowling, Target Improved Economy Rate After Costly Outing

Prasidh Krishna is determined to refine his bowling strategies, focusing on achieving better lengths and a more economical performance. The bowler acknowledges the need for improvement after recent outings.

After an expensive outing in Leeds, the 29-year-old Prasidh Krishna is keen to make amends © Getty

Krishna, with only four Test appearances, is already pinpointing areas for development. His economy rate of 5.07 across 90 overs is a key statistic he is actively working to reduce.

The Headingley defeat highlighted the issue, with Krishna conceding 6.28 runs per over and Shardul Thakur 5.56. Their inability to maintain pressure as change bowlers amplified the challenges for India once the spells of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj concluded.

"Every time I come into bowl, I'm definitely looking to bowl a maiden and I'm not really trying to give away boundaries or anything," Krishna stated. He attributed his expensive spell at Headingley to a combination of factors, including the fast outfield and imperfect lengths. "The outfield [at Headingley] was fast, the lengths, lines that I bowled were not perfect to be honest at most times, and they took me on. Some of them were edges, some of them I tried bowling bouncers, I ended up giving runs."

Krishna emphasized his commitment to taking wickets, even if it means risking runs. "So I think somebody in the team had to do it, and if I sit back and say, 'I want to look at my numbers, what my economy is,' and not really look at the wickets, it cost me a 4 and a 6, and then Jamie Smith got out, so if it means that I do that and get a wicket, I'm happy to do it, but definitely every time I come on to the bowl, I am looking to keep the economy down and build the pressure up."

"I had a few conversations with a few of them about this game. I definitely would want to bring that [economy] down to whatever best I can do, and yeah, I think I'm learning as well, I can't say anything, it's up to me, it's my responsibility to get better, and that's what I'm trying, that's what I'm working on, and I just want to make sure I put in the right kind of work and come back here and put up better numbers," Krishna added, acknowledging the importance of continuous improvement.

A review of Krishna's lengths reveals that he bowled short of a good length for 104 of his 211 balls during the Test. While this strategy yielded three of his five wickets, it also resulted in a high economy of 7.54 runs per over. Krishna explained that he opted for shorter lengths to avoid offering opportunities for easy drives.

"No, I think if I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be, that 6 to 8 [metre length] is ideal. Yeah, that's what I would say. I think the second innings got slightly better because again, the wicket was slightly slower. I had to pitch a few slightly behind it and then go slightly fuller when I'm trying to get a wicket."

"So yeah, I definitely did not bowl the lengths that I wanted. Yeah, I think so... not wanting to float it up there is definitely one of the reasons, and also, it honestly took me some time to get used to the slope, that's why, yeah, no reasons why I shouldn't be able to do it as a professional, but I take complete responsibility about it, and maybe I'll do it better next time," Krishna said.

With Jasprit Bumrah set to miss at least two of the remaining four Tests due to workload management, Krishna faces increased responsibility in both attack and defense.

"What the culture that we guys have created is we are learning off each other, no matter who's there, who's around. He's [Bumrah] been talking to all of us all though, even before coming here."

"At least for me, I've been part of this team for a few years now, so the conversations are still going on. One thing you cannot get is experience, that you have to do it yourself, and yeah, I think all of us are excited. If you look at the team, everybody is here, Siraj has played a lot of games, he's going to continue playing, and then whoever comes in, or whatever happens later, it's a great experience, and it's an opportunity for us to be here."

In addition to his bowling duties, Krishna is expected to contribute more with the bat, especially after India's batting collapses at Headingley. The lower-order batsmen have been working diligently in the nets, and Krishna is aware of the need to value his wicket.

"As the lower order batsmen, we definitely are working on it... if you look at our nets session, we are putting in the work, I think it is about putting your mind in there as well, making sure you trust yourself, trust the skill that you have, and be there at the crease for a little longer, and then the numbers and the runs are going to show, and we are working towards it."