The Gujarat Titans (GT) have shown to be a really heartless and brutal team. Prasidh Krishna’ The Silent Superstar in Gujarat Titans
In the most recent game, Washington Sundar finally got to play. The Impact Player rule has ruined it for all-rounders who are even slightly flawed. He played a game-winning innings that made experts and commentators say he was too good to be left out, but when GT returned to a red-soil pitch at home, they left him out. They didn’t go overboard. They relied on specialised batter M Shahrukh Khan to do the task. They also saw the conditions called for an extra fast bowler. They didn’t try to accommodate Washington.
Prior to this game, R Sai Kishore was GT’s second-highest wicket-taker. As per their mentor Parthiv Patel, “probably the best spinner in the tournament so far,” It wasn’t until the match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) was all but finished that he got to bowl.
Despite losing Kagiso Rabada after three games, this team seemed to have no trouble switching up their attack depending on the situation. They add Arshad Khan and go to Bengaluru, where new-ball movement might be vital. They bring in Washington after noticing that Hyderabad’s only slow track is being used. At home, they use taller bowlers and roll out the sluggish, low black-soil pitch. Arshad returns on crimson soil. Additionally, Shubman Gill has access to six bowlers who are practically real all the time.
But aside from the legendary Rashid Khan and the comeback Mohammed Siraj, there has been one consistent in the GT team that has allowed for this adaptability and brutality. He goes by Skiddy on Instagram and with his teammates, but he is everything but. He is tall, finally fit, and swift. When India supported Prasidh Krishna, they were hoping for this version of him.
“It is heartbreaking to see the response Prasidh is receiving from the pitch. The batsmen are making terrible contacts because of the steep bounce, which is inappropriate for the distances he is delivering.”
Siraj is given the new ball to play with, but nothing else is taken away from him. When the movement has died and you need another point of differentiation, Prasidh is performing the other function of creating something out of nothing. He has now scored less than seven runs per over in four consecutive games. In every one of these matches, he has claimed wickets.
Prasidh’s influence is best summed up by GT’s final two home games. They played on the black-soil field against the Mumbai Indians (MI), who are accustomed to the red soil at Wankhede and are designed for fast and bouncy pitches. His stats are 4-0-18-2. GT returned to the bounce and speed of red dirt against RR. His stats are 4-0-24-3.
A lot of top-level cricket is about feeling good about your body and executing your plans well, but don’t underestimate the value of knowing what to do in different conditions. In these two games, Prasidh has shown the awareness of his own game that only comes with experience. On the slower, grippier surface, Prasidh went into the surface more and bowled more slower balls. Both his wickets in that match came off slower balls. Every fourth ball he delivered in that game was a slower one.
Prasidh not only accelerated the speed on the faster surface, but he also ignored the slower balls. Compared to seven against MI, he only tried one against RR. Compared to only one and eight balls against MI, six balls went over 145 kph and fourteen over 140 kph versus RR. He missed a fair length only twelve times against RR, compared to fifteen times against MI.
Prasidh, who has reaped the benefits of his health and consistency, is perhaps the greatest fast bowler outside of the powerplay in this IPL thus far. The response Prasidh is receiving from the pitch is a sight to behold, even if it is just over four overs. The batsmen are making terrible contacts because of the steep bounce, which is inappropriate for the distances he is delivering. Maybe he feels good about his physical health, which is why the pace is higher.
Because their bowlers are shorter and more skiddily able to extract less from the surfaces in South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia, India has been eliminated from Test matches much too frequently. Two months from now, India will embark on its next major Test trip in England. Is Prasidh able to maintain this level of energy and consistency in longer formats?
