Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar believes that fast bowler Prasidh Krishna might have reached a career turning point following his impactful performance in India’s nine-wicket victory against Afghanistan. During the third ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Krishna recorded his maiden five-wicket haul, dismantling Afghanistan’s top six batsmen with figures of 5-23 and reducing them to 36/4. This bowling effort paved the way for India to comfortably chase the 219-run target, aided by substantial scores from Yashasvi Jaiswal (110 runs) and Rohit Sharma (79 runs).
Speaking to Jio Hotstar, Gavaskar remarked, “That’s the beauty of Indian cricket, you always have ready backups, and I think Prasidh Krishna might have reached a career turning point. He was uncertain about being in the team, he didn’t pick a wicket in the first ODI and didn’t play the second game.”
He further elaborated, “In the third ODI, he bowled longer spells and got the ball to move. He got a chance to bowl with the new ball, which he generally doesn’t get. He bowled well with the new ball in this game. He read the pitch well; he saw the ball was coming on and moving a bit. That’s what a fast bowler should do.”
The former India captain observed that Krishna displayed an aggressive mindset during his opening spell, which saw him dismantle Afghanistan’s top six batsmen. “He is actually an aggressive player. Fast bowlers enjoy troubling the batters, making them hop and duck. That’s where their fun is. Earlier, he was bowling too short and getting punished. But now he is pitching it up, getting it to move, and picking up wickets. That’s the change that has made the difference,” he added.
Afghanistan rallied after their early collapse, thanks to efforts from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (102 runs) and Azmatullah Omarzai (50 runs), but Krishna claimed Shahidi later in the innings to reach his five-wicket milestone. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs.
India easily completed the chase, with Jaiswal scoring his second ODI century in just three matches and establishing a 170-run opening partnership with Rohit, securing their first ODI series victory under captain Shubman Gill.
