Prasidh Krishna Vows to Sharpen Bowling After Headingley Setback: Focus on Economy and Length

Prasidh Krishna, with four Tests under his belt, is already focused on refining his game, particularly his economy rate. The bowler is determined to improve his figures after an expensive performance.

Prasidh Krishna looking to bounce back after an expensive spell © Getty

Krishna's economy rate of 5.07 after 90 overs has emerged as a key area for improvement.

His economy rate became a significant concern following the defeat at Headingley, where he conceded 6.28 runs per over. Shardul Thakur also struggled, with an economy rate of 5.56. The inability of these bowlers to maintain pressure after spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj compounded India's challenges.

Krishna acknowledged the need to tighten his bowling. "Every time I come into bowl, I'm definitely looking to bowl a maiden and I'm not really trying to give away boundaries or anything," Krishna said. "The outfield [at Headingley] was fast, the lengths, lines that I bowled were not perfect to be honest at most times, and they took me on. Some of them were edges, some of them I tried bowling bouncers, I ended up giving runs."

He further explained his approach, emphasizing his willingness to prioritize wickets even if it means risking runs. "So I think somebody in the team had to do it, and if I sit back and say, 'I want to look at my numbers, what my economy is,' and not really look at the wickets, it cost me a 4 and a 6, and then Jamie Smith got out, so if it means that I do that and get a wicket, I'm happy to do it, but definitely every time I come on to the bowl, I am looking to keep the economy down and build the pressure up."

Krishna emphasized his commitment to improvement. "I had a few conversations with a few of them about this game. I definitely would want to bring that [economy] down to whatever best I can do, and yeah, I think I'm learning as well, I can't say anything, it's up to me, it's my responsibility to get better, and that's what I'm trying, that's what I'm working on, and I just want to make sure I put in the right kind of work and come back here and put up better numbers," Krishna added.

Addressing Length Concerns

Krishna also addressed his lengths, which he felt were not ideal for the Headingley pitch. He noted that he bowled a significant number of deliveries short of a good length.

Specifically, 104 of his 211 balls were short of a good length. While this approach yielded three wickets, it also resulted in a high concession rate of 7.54 runs per over. Krishna attributed this to his hesitation to bowl fuller deliveries that could be easily driven.

"No, I think if I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be, that 6 to 8 [metre length] is ideal. Yeah, that's what I would say. I think the second innings got slightly better 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."

He took responsibility for not adapting quickly enough. "So yeah, I definitely did not bowl the lengths that I wanted. Yeah, I think so... 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's why, yeah, no reasons why I shouldn't be able to do it as a professional, but I take complete responsibility about it, and maybe I'll do it better next time," Krishna added.

Increased Responsibility

With Jasprit Bumrah expected to miss at least two of the remaining four Tests due to workload management, Krishna is poised to take on greater responsibility.

Krishna highlighted the team's culture of mutual learning, even in Bumrah's absence. "What the culture that we guys have created is we are learning off each other, no matter who's there, who's around. He's [Bumrah] been talking to all of us all though, even before coming here."

He acknowledged the importance of experience and the opportunity ahead. "At least for me, I've been part of this team for a few years now, so the conversations are still going on. One thing you cannot get is experience, that you have to do it yourself, and yeah, I think all of us are excited. If you look at the team, everybody is here, Siraj has played a lot of games, he's going to continue playing, and then whoever comes in, or whatever happens later, it's a great experience, and it's an opportunity for us to be here."

Batting Contributions

Beyond his bowling, Krishna is also expected to contribute with the bat, particularly after India's batting collapses at Headingley.

"As the lower order batsmen, we definitely are working on it... if you look at our nets session, we are putting in the work, I think it is about putting your mind in there as well, making sure you trust yourself, trust the skill that you have, and be there at the crease for a little longer, and then the numbers and the runs are going to show, and we are working towards it."