CRICKET | Fresh injury concerns over speedster Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna's fitness concerns raise questions as he sits out of Ranji Trophy match, impacting India's upcoming tours.

India and Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna not taking the field on day three of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C match against Madhya Pradesh here at the Holkar Stadium raised fresh concerns over the speedster’s fitness.

The 28-year-old, who was named late on Friday as a travelling reserve for India’s three-Test series against New Zealand starting from October 16 in Bengaluru, bowled only eight overs on the first day here, also Friday.

It was only recently that he made a comeback at the Duleep Trophy. This followed an eight-month absence because of a quadriceps injury, which incidentally he suffered in his previous Ranji Trophy match, against Gujarat in January, where he bowled just 14.5 overs.

Though there was no official confirmation over what was ailing the speedster, The Hindu understands that he experienced some discomfort while running on the opening day. It is to be noted that the rain-battered outfield at the Holkar Stadium was not up to the mark and a majority of Karnataka players struggled. So much so that a whole day’s play on Saturday was cancelled.

Prasidh is highly rated by the Indian think-tank, and his form and physical well-being are of importance ahead of India’s five-Test tour of Australia starting late next month.

Even if him sitting on the sidelines in Indore was a precautionary move, Karnataka missed him badly, as it was a bowler short in its quest to bowl MP out and harbour hopes of securing the first-innings lead.