'Jasprit Bumrah is wanted in every format, that should be Prasidh Krishna's benchmark'

India pacer Prasidh Krishna (BCCI Photo)

The question that immediately sprang to mind as the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy got underway and head coach Gautam Gambhir formally announced that Jasprit Bumrah will play three of the five Test matches was: how would India manage the two matches without the pace spearhead?

Mohammed Siraj wasn't in great form, and Mohammed Shami wasn't available. India brought back Shardul Thakur for the first time in more than a year, along with Harshit Rana and Anshul Kamboj, to make up for the lost talent. That was the extent of the worry.

India went on to level the five-Test series with England 2-2, and they won both of those games without Bumrah. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna deserve praise for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at Oval and giving India their closest win in Test cricket history.

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Siraj and Prasidh took 17 of the 20 England wickets that fell, which included a five-wicket haul by the former in the second innings. Prasidh provided the ideal supporting act, taking eight wickets of his own in addition to Siraj's nine.

With 14 wickets at the end of the series, Prasidh justified the faith of the selectors after being ridiculed, lambasted, and trolled for leaking runs at Headingley and Edgbaston Tests.

Siraj fulfilled all expectations, but Prasidh was the unexpected package for India. But the work is not finished yet. P Srinivasa Murthy, Prasidh's boyhood coach, has pushed his former pupil to further up his game and follow in Bumrah's footsteps. Even though Prasidh is only 29 years old, his coach made it clear that catching up to Bumrah should be his first aim.

"Prasidh complemented Siraj brilliantly in this Test. Siraj alone couldn’t have won this match. Just like batting partnerships, bowling partnerships are crucial too, and both Siraj and Prasidh shouldered that responsibility perfectly," Murthy told Mid-Day.

"Prasidh should stay rooted and focus on improving in every game. He has to be fit enough to play in all formats. He should become just like Bumrah. Bumrah is wanted in every format. That should be his benchmark, aim."

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The 52-year-old Murthy is even more proud of Prasidh for the way he bounced back from his poor performances in the first two Tests. Despite taking five wickets in the series opener, Prasidh conceded 220 runs as England defeated India and drew first blood. Even though India rallied to level the series in Edgbaston, Prasidh's bowling figures of 0/72 and 1/39 were incredibly disappointing.

He was then dropped from the Manchester Test with Bumrah and Shardul returning to the XI. However, Prasidh silenced all his critics when he was given another shot in the series, in fact the most important Test, the decider at the Oval. He exceeded expectations by picking 4/62 in the first innings and 4/126 in the second.

"To be honest, from the first Test of this series to the last Test, I have seen a drastic improvement in Prasidh’s line and length. He became more controlled. In the first two Tests, he was not up to the mark, which is why he lost his place in the playing XI. But then, he worked on his bowling and has come back strongly. This shows his fine character," Murthy, who coached Prasidh at Bengaluru’s Carmel High School, added.