At one stage, Prasidh Krishna’s figures read 5 overs for 50 runs without a wicket. On Day 3, Jamie Smith hammered him for 23 runs in a single over.
Prasidh Krishna Struggles with Economy Rate Despite High Expectations
Despite being highly regarded within Indian cricket circles, Prasidh Krishna’s return to Test cricket has been underwhelming. Now playing his fifth Test match, the right-arm pacer is flirting with an undesirable record for the worst economy rate among frontline bowlers, currently hovering well above 5 runs per over. Although Krishna has yet to bowl 1,000 deliveries or reach 10 Tests to officially qualify for record books, the signs are concerning.
In the ongoing second Test against England, Krishna has leaked runs at an alarming rate of 5.50 per over without taking a wicket, conceding 72 runs in 13 overs. At one point, his figures stood at five overs for 50 runs without success. His short-ball strategy failed against England’s Jamie Smith and Harry Brook, who punished him heavily—Smith alone scored 23 runs off one over in the first session of Day 3.
Atherton reminds Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill, he would not pick Prasidh Krishna
Former England captain Michael Atherton openly questioned India’s decision to include Prasidh Krishna in the playing XI for the second Test, suggesting that Kuldeep Yadav, an attacking spinner, would have been a better choice—especially useful in the second innings. “I wouldn’t pick this gentleman, Prasidh Krishna. I would have picked Kuldeep Yadav,” Atherton said during commentary as Krishna struggled against Jamie Smith and Harry Brook.
Atherton had expressed similar views right after the toss, recommending India opt for genuine wicket-takers like Kuldeep and Arshdeep Singh instead of Krishna and Washington Sundar, particularly with Jasprit Bumrah sidelined.
Krishna, who typically bowls at speeds over 140 km/h, dropped into the mid-130s when asked to bowl bouncers to Smith. On the slow Edgbaston pitch, this slower pace gave Smith time to settle on the back foot and unleash powerful pull shots.
Former India pacer Varun Aaron echoed the concerns, criticizing Krishna’s overuse of short balls on a slow surface. “Too many bouncers, too many short balls. On a slow pitch, when none of your bowlers are consistently pushing the 145 kph mark, you cannot afford to bowl that many short deliveries. Indian bowlers have the skill to keep it on that ideal length — keep hitting the stumps. Sustained pressure is what gets you wickets. You can’t expect things to happen immediately all the time,” Aaron said on JioHotstar.
Despite Krishna’s struggles, India’s fast bowling attack was bolstered by outstanding performances from Mohammed Siraj (6/70) and Akash Deep (4/88), who together dismantled England for 407.