Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif came down heavily on Prasidh Krishna after the India pacer’s lackluster show with the ball in the first two ODIs against South Africa in the ongoing series.
While he got only one wicket in Ranchi in his 7.4 overs, Krishna was guilty of conceding at an excess of 10 runs over over in Raipur which India lost by four wickets.
In fact, as South Africa chased down 359 runs in the second ODI, the Karnataka pacer was the most expensive bowler for India, conceding 85 runs in his 8.2 overs at the expense of just two wickets. Kaif couldn’t control himself and minced no words, stating the 29-year-old lacked skills.
In a video on his YouTube, Kaif questioned the Krishna’s game-reading skills. “Prasidh was expensive even in the Tests in England. He leaks runs. He is a bowler who does not know his strengths. He is not extremely skilled in any one area. His strength is to hit the deck, but he does not bowl slower ones. This is the only thing he knows, Kaif said.
One of the gun fielders during his time, Kaif also reminded Krishna the level of cricket being played at the international level and in the Indian Premier League are different. “He did work a bit on the variations in the IPL. But international cricket is different.
“The ball was very wet, so maybe we can give him the benefit of the doubt. It is difficult to bowl with a wet bowl for inexperienced bowlers. Here is where you need experienced bowlers,” added Kaif.
There is less experience in bowling: Kaif
Reiterating the need of seniors in the side in the bowling department, Kaif opined that the Indian attack lacks experience. The former cricketer called for the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj to guide the juniors as a part of transition.
“There is less experience in bowling. When this team was picked, I told this. No Bumrah, no Shami, no Siraj. If you want to transition, you have to keep some seniors with the juniors. There are no seniors at all.
“Prasidh, Arshdeep, Rana – how many games have all of these played? You need senior pacers to tell them things. You have picked a team with a lot of inexperienced pacers,” added Kaif.
‘Where is Mohammed Shami?’ – Harbhajan Singh
A few days earlier, Kaif’s teammate Harbhajan Singh asked Shami’s whereabouts in the Indian team. “Where is Shami? I don’t know why Shami is not playing,” Harbhajan said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“I get it, you have Prasidh, he is a good bowler, but he still has a lot to learn. You had good bowlers, and you have slowly sidelined them. With Bumrah, this is a different bowling attack, and without Bumrah, it is entirely different attack altogether. We have to learn the art of winning games without Jasprit Bumrah,” added Harbhajan.
For the unknown, Shami is consistently among wickets for Bengal in domestic cricket in the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.