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NEW DELHI: Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his unwillingness to lose faith in Prasidh Krishna’s abilities to endure the challenges of five-day cricket, despite a lackluster debut in the opening Test against South Africa.
In the Centurion Test, Prasidh faced a tough initiation, conceding 93 runs in 20 overs as India lost the match by an innings and 32 runs.Despite this challenging start, Rohit remains optimistic about Prasidh’s potential in Test cricket.”We had a brief chat with management as to what we want from this game from the bowlers, we haven’t exactly finalized our eleven, all our players are fit and available. We will sit down and decide,” Rohit said when asked about potential changes and whether Mukesh Kumar has a chance to play.
It appears that Rohit is inclined to persist with Prasidh, despite acknowledging that the bowler is not renowned for maintaining a low economy rate and has been conceding runs across various formats.
Rohit’s decision may be based on his belief in Prasidh’s overall skills and potential, even though he has faced challenges in terms of economy rates in different formats of the game.
“Having said that, I know we have a little bit of inexperience in bowling and when that happens, you got to show trust in them. That can happen with any team. Post the last match, I said about Prasidh playing his first game. We all get nervous when you are playing your first game. It’s understandable.
“But I’ll still back that thought of mine, that he’s got a good ability to succeed at this level and especially in this format. So it’s just about showing faith and trust in everyone and getting the job done from them.”
Shardul’s injury scare
Rohit confirmed that all players, including the recovered Ravindra Jadeja, are fit and available for the second Test. However, there are indications that all-rounder Shardul Thakur may be dealing with an ankle issue, as he has refrained from bowling during the last couple of practice sessions.
Shardul, who had previously sustained a blow to his left shoulder while batting, showed signs of recovery as he batted in the nets on Monday. Nevertheless, he has not bowled a single delivery on both Monday and Tuesday, possibly due to the apparent ankle concern.
‘Pitch looks similar to Centurion’
The India skipper feels that pace and bounce at Newlands will be similar to Centurion but the heat here will be a factor.
“Pitch looks similar to what we had in Centurion. May be not so much grass (on Supersport Park track) but enough covering of grass but overhead conditions will matter as it is very hot compared to Centurion.
“In 2021, I wasn’t here (because of injury) but guys who were here, told me it was similar conditions, we know exactly what needs to be done. Based on how pitch is, we got to respond to that.”
‘Iyer, Gill need to figure out ways to score’
Rohit also acknowledged the discussions about Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill facing challenges in handling excess bounce. Despite these difficulties, Rohit expressed the belief that both players need to find ways to succeed in such conditions. He emphasised that gaining confidence and performing well in adverse situations will be crucial for their development and success in the future.
“These three guys (including Yashasvi Jaiswal) haven’t played a lot of cricket but have been around the team for a number of years and you have to find the positivity to take the game to the next level. When you score against a team like that, it gives you a lot of confidence to go ahead in your career,” the skipper said.
“At some stage, we all have faced situations like this, opposition like this and we all have done it. For them, they will learn a lot and tomorrow will be another opportunity to learn what is required, its not going to be easy.”
Rohit also backed Gill to excel at No.3, his preferred position to bat in Test cricket.
“Gill is very smart and he understands his batting well. He prefers that number as he batted a fair bit in Ranji Trophy in that slot and opened in ODIs, that was his preference and he feels he can do well for us batting in that position.”
(With PTI inputs)
In the Centurion Test, Prasidh faced a tough initiation, conceding 93 runs in 20 overs as India lost the match by an innings and 32 runs.Despite this challenging start, Rohit remains optimistic about Prasidh’s potential in Test cricket.”We had a brief chat with management as to what we want from this game from the bowlers, we haven’t exactly finalized our eleven, all our players are fit and available. We will sit down and decide,” Rohit said when asked about potential changes and whether Mukesh Kumar has a chance to play.
It appears that Rohit is inclined to persist with Prasidh, despite acknowledging that the bowler is not renowned for maintaining a low economy rate and has been conceding runs across various formats.
Rohit’s decision may be based on his belief in Prasidh’s overall skills and potential, even though he has faced challenges in terms of economy rates in different formats of the game.
“Having said that, I know we have a little bit of inexperience in bowling and when that happens, you got to show trust in them. That can happen with any team. Post the last match, I said about Prasidh playing his first game. We all get nervous when you are playing your first game. It’s understandable.
“But I’ll still back that thought of mine, that he’s got a good ability to succeed at this level and especially in this format. So it’s just about showing faith and trust in everyone and getting the job done from them.”
Shardul’s injury scare
Rohit confirmed that all players, including the recovered Ravindra Jadeja, are fit and available for the second Test. However, there are indications that all-rounder Shardul Thakur may be dealing with an ankle issue, as he has refrained from bowling during the last couple of practice sessions.
Shardul, who had previously sustained a blow to his left shoulder while batting, showed signs of recovery as he batted in the nets on Monday. Nevertheless, he has not bowled a single delivery on both Monday and Tuesday, possibly due to the apparent ankle concern.
‘Pitch looks similar to Centurion’
The India skipper feels that pace and bounce at Newlands will be similar to Centurion but the heat here will be a factor.
“Pitch looks similar to what we had in Centurion. May be not so much grass (on Supersport Park track) but enough covering of grass but overhead conditions will matter as it is very hot compared to Centurion.
“In 2021, I wasn’t here (because of injury) but guys who were here, told me it was similar conditions, we know exactly what needs to be done. Based on how pitch is, we got to respond to that.”
‘Iyer, Gill need to figure out ways to score’
Rohit also acknowledged the discussions about Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill facing challenges in handling excess bounce. Despite these difficulties, Rohit expressed the belief that both players need to find ways to succeed in such conditions. He emphasised that gaining confidence and performing well in adverse situations will be crucial for their development and success in the future.
“These three guys (including Yashasvi Jaiswal) haven’t played a lot of cricket but have been around the team for a number of years and you have to find the positivity to take the game to the next level. When you score against a team like that, it gives you a lot of confidence to go ahead in your career,” the skipper said.
“At some stage, we all have faced situations like this, opposition like this and we all have done it. For them, they will learn a lot and tomorrow will be another opportunity to learn what is required, its not going to be easy.”
Rohit also backed Gill to excel at No.3, his preferred position to bat in Test cricket.
“Gill is very smart and he understands his batting well. He prefers that number as he batted a fair bit in Ranji Trophy in that slot and opened in ODIs, that was his preference and he feels he can do well for us batting in that position.”
(With PTI inputs)
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