Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh has openly criticized the team management’s decision to sideline Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna for much of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in favour of Harshit Rana. Prasidh Krishna was only brought into the playing XI during the final Test in Sydney after an injury to Akash Deep.
Harshit Rana’s initial inclusion showed promise, particularly on the bouncy Perth pitch. However, he failed to make an impact, ending the second Test wicketless with the pink ball, which led to his exclusion. Prasidh Krishna finally got his opportunity in the Sydney Test on a green top that offered plenty of bounce. Though initially wayward and smashed for a six by Steve Smith, he gradually settled into a lethal rhythm.
Prasidh Krishna Shines in Jasprit Bumrah’s Absence
The Indian team is ‘really pumped up’ and confident about their plans and skills going into what could be the final day of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Sunday, according to pacer Prasidh Krishna. The quick said the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pitch is not easy for batting due to variable bounce and the visitors will try to defend whatever target they set.
Led by Rishabh Pant’s quickfire 61 (33), Indians ended the day at 141/6 with all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar batting at 8 (39) and 6 (17) as the last recognized batters. India’s best phase, though, came earlier, with the ball in hand, when despite Jasprit Bumrah being out with injury, other pacers stepped up under stand-in skipper Virat Kohli’s tutelage and kept Australia down to 181 in the second innings, taking a four-run lead.
With Bumrah sidelined due to an injury during the match, Prasidh Krishna took on additional responsibility and delivered crucial breakthroughs. His figures of 3-42 in the first innings included the dismissals of key Australian players Steve Smith, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey, ensuring that India did not concede a lead.
Prasidh Krishna took advantage of the green top in Sydney, with lots of bounce to exploit. He was a bit wayward, to begin with, and was even smashed for a six by Steve Smith, but slowly found his rhythm. He had to play a bigger role after Jasprit Bumrah had to go off the field due to injury.
The Karnataka pacer ensured Australia did not have a lead by dismissing Smith, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey – three of the top four run-scorers for Australia in the first innings.
While Prasidh Krishna’s performance reaffirmed his potential, Dodda Ganesh’s criticism highlights what might have been a missed opportunity for the team. The debate raises questions about India’s selection strategy, particularly given Prasidh Krishna’s early success in the World Test Championship cycle and his strong showing in the lead-up games.
Former India bowler Dodda Ganesh slams decision to bench Prasidh Krishna for Harshit Rana in BGT 2024-25
Former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh criticized the team management’s decision to bench Prasidh Krishna for most of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in favor of Harshit Rana. The Karnataka pacer had to wait for his chance and was included in the playing XI for the Sydney Test after an injury to Akash Deep.
With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj locked in the bowling department, and Mohammed Shami failing to recover completely in time, the spot for the third seamer was open. Harshit Rana was preferred in the first two Tests before Akash Deep took over for the next two matches.
Prasidh Krishna, meanwhile, arrived in Australia as part of India ‘A’ setup for the unofficial Test series against Australia ‘A’. He picked up 10 wickets across the two matches, including a four-wicket haul at the MCG. Despite playing in the South Africa series at the start of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, he was not considered for the BGT Down Under.
Dodda Ganesh opined that India missed a trick by not picking Prasidh Krishna as the third seamer from the word go.
“After having seen what he’d done in the India-A games prior to the test series, picking Harshit Rana ahead of Prasidh made no cricketing sense whatsoever. Prasidh was in great rhythm; and India missed a trick by not picking him from the beginning,” the former player posted on X
Harshit Rana made the most of the fiery pitch in Perth, but ended up wicketless with the pink ball in the second Test, leading to his omission. India’s decision-making for the BGT will undoubtedly be analyzed, especially in light of Prasidh Krishna’s eventual impact. Whether this late inclusion was a stroke of luck or a delayed correction, it leaves much for the management to ponder ahead of future challenges.
Prasidh’s extra height, skiddy movement off the pitch and the ability to hit the hard lengths could be perfect for the pitch if he can bowl with control.
In hindsight, it is easy to say Prasidh Krishna should have been preferred ahead of Harshit, it also needs to be noted that the bowling friendly conditions in SCG has helped Prasidh Krishna. Moreover, the Indian team management was quite proactive in replacing Harshit after his bad outing in the second Test.
Akash Deep was brought in and he bowled quite well, without much luck in his favour. Prasidh Krishna did bowl well in the India A matches, but so did Harshit Rana. So, it is a bit unfair to blame the management as Rana did offer some skills that are preferable in Australian conditions, even though he was a little inexperienced. His performance in the first Test was also quite impressive.
But, yes, the Indian management should have gauged that Prasidh Krishna or Akash Deep were better options for the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide than Rana. They missed a trick there and that’s the only thing they should be criticized for.