Indian Test captain Shubman Gill has hinted that the Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna will share the new red ball with the seasoned pacer Mohammed Siraj in the first Test of the two-match series, which is scheduled to start on Saturday.
India’s 15-man Test squad has Siraj, Prasidh, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi forming the pace battery. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Gill has asserted that Prasidh bowled well in the three-day warm-up fixture, indicating his inclusion in the XI.
“Gurnoor Brar is excellent with the old ball as he can extract bounce at a good pace. But Prasidh Krishna is bowling well of late as we have seen in the warm-up match. So it’s a tough call,” Gill said.
“Jasprit Bumrah is not here but it’s an opportunity for someone to step up. It’s all about understanding the pace of the game,” he added.
On the other hand, Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal is expected to take up the No. 3 role in the absence of another left-hander, Sai Sudharsan. Moreover, Dhruv Jurel is expected to get a longer rope despite minimal returns.
“Players are going to grow on their own. We need to give time to them, some players require a bit of time,” he noted.
Furthermore, Gill also dismissed the reports of poor communication between the team management and the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
“There is a constant communication with them. Unfortunately Sai Sudharsan did not improve as much as we liked as we can’t take risks in Tests. But we are confident of our 15 (players),” Gill concluded.
