Former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar has expressed confidence in speedster Prasidh Krishna’s potential to excel in Test cricket. Sanjay Bangar acknowledged that a below-par start is not uncommon, citing pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s initial struggles.
Prasidh Krishna made his Test debut for India in the series opener at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The right-arm pacer conceded 61 runs in 15 overs, despite securing his first wicket by dismissing South African batsman Kyle Verreynne on Day 2.
South Africa finished Day 2 at 256 for 5, maintaining an 11-run lead in the series opener. The visiting team was bowled out for 245 runs in their first innings. KL Rahul, who batted in the middle order, scored a magnificent century to help his team recover from a poor start.
This also happened to someone like Jasprit Bumrah – Sanjay Bangar
In a conversation with Star Sports on Wednesday, Sanjay Bangar commented on Prasidh Krishna’s challenging start, drawing parallels with Jasprit Bumrah. Bangar said Krishna found success after returning to his natural length and hitting him hard.
“I feel like this can happen. This has also happened to someone like Jasprit Bumrah. I still remember the first test that took place in Cape Town. On day 1, he ran between 60 and 70 runs. After that he resorted to the natural length of him, which is hitting the length hard,” said Bangar.
Bangar was part of the team management during the 2018 tour of South Africa. Bumrah made his Test debut in Cape Town, conceding 73 runs in 19 overs but managing to secure the crucial wicket of AB de Villiers. He took three wickets for 39 runs in the second innings.
Prasidh Krishna remains a handful – Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar suggested that Prasidh Krishna should prioritize extracting additional bounce from the pitch rather than relying on swing. Bangar acknowledged that Prasidh is in his early days, but noted that a below-average start in a Test career is not unique to him.
“That’s what you saw, the clear point of difference that the team management expected from Prasidh might not have much effect in the first period. But in the second spell, we saw that if he can maintain that pace of hitting the deck hard and not looking for swing, it can still be a problem. Prasidh’s early days, but he is not the only one who has had a below-par start to his Test career,” Bangar added.
Dean Elgar scored his 14th Test century, propelling South Africa to an 11-run lead at the conclusion of Day 2 in the Boxing Day Test against India. With Temba Bavuma not knowing who to bat, the Indian bowlers aim to limit the opponents to a minimal lead in the first innings.
The former South African captain secured his second Test century against India, with his first coming in 2019. Elgar formed a crucial partnership with debutant David Bedigham, putting pressure on the opposition bowlers in the Boxing Day match.
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