“Has Potential to Excel”: Indian Captain Rohit Sharma Supports Prasidh Krishna Despite His Unspectacular Debut Against South Africa

Test debutant Prasidh Krishna faced criticism for his poor performance in the first Test in Centurion against South Africa, as India lost by an innings and 32 runs to trail 0-1 in the two-match series.

The inexperienced Prasidh Krishna was encouraged by Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who thinks the bowler is capable of playing the longest format in sports. “Look, he may be a little inexperienced, but he has the tools to come out here and play the game,” Rohit said. Some of the bowlers we have in India are out due to injury, and some are not available. Therefore, we make an effort to choose the players who are available and, taking into account the playing circumstances, we select the bowlers accordingly.

Furthermore, Rohit said, “I absolutely agree that he hasn’t played a lot of cricket, but their team has three guys who haven’t played a lot of cricket either; they came here and showed what it takes.”

At this point, the captain thinks that mentality is more important to address than experience. “I think it is in the mind more than the work in the legs,” he said. It matters more how you approach your mental health and how you want to approach the game. It won’t help if you keep telling yourself things like, “Oh, I haven’t played too many first-class games or Test matches.” It goes without saying that you should take advantage of the chance to serve the team and show gratitude.

In light of Prasidh’s first Test, Rohit thinks that anxieties are only natural while playing in your first game. Prasidh’s mentality has been commended by the captain, who thinks he has what it takes to succeed in the format. “Prasidh has been with the Indian team,” said the captain. Not with the Test squad, but he has shown a great deal of promise in the previous two or three years playing a lot of white-ball cricket for us.

Additionally, Rohit said, “We were all anxious when we played our first game, even though it obviously didn’t go well for him. He too would have felt uneasy. These things do occur, yet the man is capable of succeeding in this specific arrangement. We will thus support him as we believe he has excellent potential and a positive approach toward his game, both of which will likely help us in the long run.

The Indian team, led once again by Rohit Sharma, will now travel to Cape Town in an attempt to square the two-match Test series and end their tour of South Africa.