Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has made a scathing attack on Prasidh Krishna before the third ODI against New Zealand. Kaif questioned the Indian team management’s decision to continue supporting Prasidh despite keeping Arshdeep Singh on the bench for most of the matches, despite being costly.
India’s selection choices have come under scrutiny after Arshdeep Singh was dropped from the playing eleven for the first two ODIs against New Zealand. Arshdeep has proven himself in T20Is but has had limited opportunities in the 50-over format, even though he has been a part of the ODI setup for over a year.
For the initial matches, the team management preferred Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana in the pace attack. This decision has raised questions, especially when India entered the game without a left-arm fast bowler, a gap that Arshdeep could have filled.
Famous Krishna always goes for runs – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif said that famous Krishna gives a lot of runs in most of the matches. Kaif questioned why Arshdeep Singh was kept out while Prasidh is continuously getting chances. He said that if India has to be successful in the 2027 ODI World Cup, it will have to learn to defend scores like 270 or 280.
Kaif said on his YouTube channel, “You are leaving out Arshdeep, who is a wicket-taking bowler and wants to groom the famous Krishna. He always goes out to score runs except in one or two games. If someone says that 280 runs were less and that is why India could not win, then I do not see this team winning the World Cup.”
“Sometimes they will be 15-20 runs short. If you want to win the World Cup, you have to learn to win games even with 270-280 runs. When the score is less than par, you have to learn to win games with the ball,” he said.
Spotlight on Prasidh Krishna before the series-deciding ODI
With the ODI series tied at 1-1, the focus is on selection for Sunday’s decider. The spotlight is on Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill to decide whether changes are needed to bring more balance and variety to India’s bowling attack.
India scored 284/7 in the second ODI but could not defend this score. There will be pressure on the bowlers to respond in the final match to be played in Indore on Sunday 18 January.
In the second ODI, Prasidh Krishna finished with figures of 1/49 from nine overs at an economy rate of 5.4. He has taken 40 wickets in 23 ODIs but has given runs at an overall economy of 6.02. The fast bowler recorded figures of 1/48, 2/85, 4/66, 2/60 and 1/49 in his last five innings.
In comparison, Arshdeep Singh has taken 22 wickets in 14 ODIs while maintaining a low economy rate of 5.29, adding weight to the debate ahead of the series decider.
You have to learn to do this – Mohammad Kaif on dew factor
Mohammad Kaif said that dew should not be the reason for the struggle of Indian bowlers in the second ODI against New Zealand. Kaif said that such situations are common and inevitable and the Indian team will have to find a way to bowl the wet ball as well.
“Dew will always be there. I think you should focus less on these things and focus more on how to win. See how you can bowl even in dew. You have to learn to do that,” Kaif said.
India have a good record at the Holkar Stadium and have won all five international matches played there. They won at this ground against England in 2006 and 2008, West Indies in 2011, South Africa in 2015 and Australia in 2017.
Also read: Before the third ODI against New Zealand, Shubman Gill brought a special water purifier worth Rs 3 lakh to Indore.