'I take complete responsibility': Prasidh Krishna finally reacts after unwanted record in 1st Test

Prasidh Krishna has admitted he was not at his best in the first Test against England at Headingley, where he ended up creating an unwanted record. The Indian pacer became the first bowler in Test history to concede more than a run a ball in both innings after bowling at least 15 overs in each. India’s poor bowling in one of the reasons behind the shocking loss despite scoring five centuries in the match.

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Prasidh Krishna takes responsibility for poor bowling

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Prasidh said he bowled too short in the first innings and couldn’t hit the right length consistently. Prasidh’s economy rate was the highest ever for an Indian bowler in a Test match. In the second innings, he improved his length and looked a bit more threatening, but the damage had already been done.

“If I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be. Definitely 6-8[m] is ideal. That’s what I would say. I think second innings it got slightly better, but 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 to,” Prasidh was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“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 side. But I should be able to do it as a professional. I take complete responsibility about it, and then maybe I do it better next time,” he added.

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The 28-year-old is now working closely with India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel to fix his length without floating the ball up. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Prasidh after the loss, saying the bowler has the tools to succeed in red-ball cricket. However, Prasidh will need to learn fast, especially with Jasprit Bumrah likely to miss two of the remaining Tests.

Prasidh was seen training hard in the nets at Edgbaston on Saturday ahead of the second Test match. He, along with other bowlers including Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, bowled at full intensity before trying their hands on batting. India are currently 1-0 down in the five-match series and will look to bounce back in the next game starting from 2 July.