Prasidh Krishna Takes Ownership of Economy Rate Woes, Vows to Improve Lengths and Performance for India

Prasidh Krishna, the Indian bowler, is determined to improve his length and economy rate in future Test matches. He acknowledges his current figures are a cause for concern and is actively working to address them.

After an expensive outing in Leeds, the 29-year-old Prasidh Krishna is keen to make amends © Getty

Krishna's current economy rate stands at 5.07 after bowling 90 overs in his four Test matches. He recognizes this as an area needing immediate attention.

Addressing Concerns After Headingley Defeat

The Headingley defeat highlighted the issue, with Krishna conceding runs at 6.28 per over, while Shardul Thakur went at 5.56. Their inability to maintain pressure as change bowlers amplified India's challenges after the spells of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Krishna explained his approach: "Every time I come into bowl, I'm definitely looking to bowl a maiden and I'm not really trying to give away boundaries or anything. The outfield [at Headingley] was fast, the lengths, lines that I bowled were not perfect to be honest at most times, and they took me on."

He further elaborated on his mindset: "If I sit back and say, 'I want to look at my numbers, what my economy is,' and not really look at the wickets, it cost me a 4 and a 6, and then Jamie Smith got out, so if it means that I do that and get a wicket, I'm happy to do it, but definitely every time I come on to the bowl, I am looking to keep the economy down and build the pressure up."

Taking Ownership and Striving for Improvement

Krishna emphasized his commitment to improvement: "I had a few conversations with a few of them about this game. I definitely would want to bring that [economy] down to whatever best I can do, and yeah, I think I'm learning as well, I can't say anything, it's up to me, it's my responsibility to get better, and that's what I'm trying, that's what I'm working on, and I just want to make sure I put in the right kind of work and come back here and put up better numbers."

Analyzing Lengths and Adjustments

Krishna acknowledged his lengths were not ideal at Headingley. He bowled a significant number of deliveries short of a good length, resulting in a high economy rate for those deliveries. He attributed this to a reluctance to bowl fuller and risk being driven easily.

"No, I think if I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be, that 6 to 8 [metre length] is ideal. Yeah, that's what I would say. I think the second innings got slightly better because again, the wicket was slightly slower. I had to pitch a few slightly behind it and then go slightly fuller when I'm trying to get a wicket."

He took "complete responsibility" for not adapting quickly enough to the conditions, including the slope of the ground.

Increased Responsibility in Bumrah's Absence

With Jasprit Bumrah set to miss at least two of the remaining four Tests due to workload management, Krishna will have a greater role to play, both offensively and defensively.

He spoke about the team culture: "What the culture that we guys have created is we are learning off each other, no matter who's there, who's around. He's [Bumrah] been talking to all of us all though, even before coming here."

Krishna added, "One thing you cannot get is experience, that you have to do it yourself, and yeah, I think all of us are excited. If you look at the team, everybody is here, Siraj has played a lot of games, he's going to continue playing, and then whoever comes in, or whatever happens later, it's a great experience, and it's an opportunity for us to be here."

Focus on Lower-Order Batting Contributions

Beyond his bowling, Krishna is also focused on contributing more with the bat. Following India's batting collapses at Headingley, the lower order is working hard in the nets.

"As the lower order batsmen, we definitely are working on it... if you look at our nets session, we are putting in the work, I think it is about putting your mind in there as well, making sure you trust yourself, trust the skill that you have, and be there at the crease for a little longer, and then the numbers and the runs are going to show, and we are working towards it."