India Eyes Series Rebound: Prasidh Krishna Details Bumrah's Role, Team's Positive Mindset After Test Loss

Following a setback in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England at Headingley, Leeds, the Indian team is recalibrating its strategy. Despite the loss, which put England ahead 1-0 in the five-match series, India remains focused, particularly on managing the workload of key players like Jasprit Bumrah.

Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah during a team discussion.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has affirmed that Bumrah will participate in only three of the five Tests, a decision finalized before the series commenced. "We need to manage his workload. The scoreline doesn’t change that… he will play three Tests only," Gambhir stated.

This situation presents an opportunity for other pacers, including Prasidh Krishna, to step up.

Krishna emphasized the positive team environment and continuous learning, saying, "We are learning from each other, no matter who's there or who's around. And with Booms (Bumrah) around, he's been talking to all of us throughout, even before coming here."

He further added, "One thing you cannot get is experience — you have to go through it yourself. And yeah, I think all of us are excited."

Krishna also highlighted the depth in the bowling attack: "If you look at the team, everybody is here. Siraj has played a lot of games, he's going to continue playing, and whoever comes in — or whatever happens later — it's a great experience and an opportunity. That’s the way we look at it."

England's recent victory was notable as they successfully chased a target of over 300 runs despite conceding five individual centuries. Duckett's 149 and Root's unbeaten 53 propelled England to 373/5, overcoming India's total of 835 runs in the match, which included two centuries from Rishabh Pant.

Addressing any concerns about the team's morale, Prasidh stated, "The dressing room is still positive, happy, and very, very motivated. Like I said, we came here knowing what this opportunity meant for all of us."

He elaborated on the team's approach during the game: "We wanted to do something, and we went about doing it — we got two wickets in a cluster, twice. So that kept the motivation going... We made sure that until the last run was scored, we were still fighting and making them work hard for it."

Krishna Aims for Improvement

While Bumrah was effective in the first innings, other bowlers like Siraj, Prasidh, and Shardul faced challenges. Krishna acknowledged his performance, saying, "I definitely want to bring that number down — to the best I can. And I think I’m learning as well. It’s on me — I can’t say anything else. It’s my responsibility to get better, and that’s what I’m trying. That’s what I’m working on."

He explained his strategy while bowling, "Every time I come out to bowl, I’m definitely looking to bowl a maiden. I’m not really trying to give away boundaries or anything... But yes, every time I bowl, I’m looking to keep the economy rate down and build pressure."

Reflecting on his bowling lengths, Krishna admitted, "If I look at the first innings, I was a little shorter than where I wanted to be... So yeah, I definitely didn’t bowl the lengths I wanted to."

Krishna Praises Captain Gill

With Rohit Sharma's recent retirement, this series marks Shubman Gill’s first as India’s Test captain. Krishna, who has played under Gill at Gujarat Titans, commended his leadership.

"About Shubman — yeah, I think he did a pretty good job. All of us saw how he rotated the bowlers, made sure everyone got enough breaks, and brought bowlers in at the right times... And knowing him, he created a very good atmosphere around the team."

Krishna concluded by emphasizing the team's collective effort, "He's been speaking to all of us. We always go in with a plan, and the communication is happening there... The runs and numbers will then follow. And we are working towards that."