Bowling in the sweltering heat of Chennai, India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna staked his claim for the ODI World Cup 2027 with a superb opening spell in India’s third and final ODI against Afghanistan.
The lanky fast bowler ripped through Afghanistan’s top order, dismantling their batting line-up on Saturday, June 20. Krishna dismissed opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz with the very first ball of the day, drawing an edge to Rohit Sharma at first slip. The second wicket, almost identical to the first, came in the sixth over – his third of the match.
IND vs AFG 3rd ODI: Live Updates | Scorecard
Despite temperatures soaring to 40 degrees in Chennai, captain Shubman Gill stuck with the fast bowler, who struck twice more in the eighth and 10th overs of the match, leaving the Afghan batting line-up in disarray.
Prasidh’s extra bounce off the surface, controlled to perfection on the day, repeatedly found the outside edge and humbled the Afghan batting order in the final ODI of the series.
Having already picked up four wickets, Krishna returned for his final spell in the 43rd over and cleaned up the Afghan innings with the wicket of centurion Hashmatullah Shahidi, who had kept Afghanistan alive in the contest.
The wicket of Shahidi meant that Prasidh bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs – five years after making his debut in the format as one of India’s most promising fast-bowling talents.
The fifer clearly meant a lot to Krishna. He swiftly took the ball, put it in his pocket and walked in for the mid-innings interview. With a sheepish smile on his face, Krishna said that he had already taken the ball away and was happy to put in the hard yards for the team in the extreme Chennai heat.
Krishna has long been known for spraying the ball on inconsistent lengths, something that has hampered his progression in the national team. The fast bowler admitted that he has been working closely with coach Morne Morkel, who has constantly been in his ear, advising him on the lengths he should be bowling across formats.
“Yes, the work’s been going on for quite some time now. I would say we’ve been working really hard on length all over the place, be it whatever format I’m playing. And it’s nice to see things coming off, and definitely Morne Morkel has really been in my ears for quite some time now, and I’m happy to be bowling well today,” Krishna told the broadcaster in the mid-innings interview.
PRASIDH KRISHNA’S BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN ODIs
5/23 vs Afghanistan, Chennai, 2026
4/12 vs West Indies, Ahmedabad, 2022
4/54 vs England, Pune, 2021
4/66 vs South Africa, Visakhapatnam, 2025
ODI WORLD CUP CLAIM?
India have been searching for Prasidh’s profile of fast bowlers for upcoming ICC tournaments in South Africa and Australia. Harshit Rana and Gurnoor Brar are examples of that approach.
A Prasidh Krishna hitting peak rhythm would certainly keep Ajit Agarkar and company interested as India build momentum towards the two ICC tournaments in SENA conditions.
If he remains fit, this performance would do Prasidh a world of good in selection meetings over the coming months.
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