Why is Prasidh Krishna part of the India squad for England Test tour 2025?

Business Standard

7 days ago

The Indian cricket team is currently on a tour of England for a five-match Test series, where they are trailing 0-1 after losing the first game at Leeds by five wickets due to sub-par bowling, with pacer Prasidh Krishna facing the most amount of heat.
Krishna's troubles did not end in the first Test, as he was once again the most expensive bowler for India in the firrst innings second Test at Edgbaston, which left the fans fuming. The internet shredded the pacer apart, calling him one of the worst bowlers of all time. Some even questioned his credibility for selection on this tour. Krishna did perform extremely well in the latest edition of the IPL and won the Purple Cap, which did play a big role in his selection. But is that all, or is there a bigger picture behind his selection that fans are overlooking due to his recent performances? Let's take a look.
Why are fans angry with Prasidh Krishna?
Krishna took a total of five wickets in the match (3 in the first innings and 2 in the second innings), which makes him decent as far as his job of wicket-taking is concerned. But the real issue was the number of runs he leaked. In the first innings, he bowled 20 overs and conceded 128 runs with an economy rate of 6.40, while in the second innings he bowled 15 overs and gave away 92 runs at an economy rate of 6.29.
Krishna himself addressed the issue after the match, saying he did not bowl the line he wanted to and ended up leaking runs, which proved costly for the team. Fans expected him to do better after his admission, but things went from bad to worse in the first innings of the second Test, where he bowled 13 overs and conceded 72 runs at an economy rate of 5.5 while also having no wickets to show for it. This triggered fan anger, making him the latest victim of internet trolling.
Krishna's journey in international cricket
While the anger of fans towards Prasidh Krishna can be somewhat justified, it would be harsh to dismiss his selection based solely on his recent performance. Krishna started his international career on March 23, 2021, in an ODI game against England in Pune. In his very first match, he made an impact by picking four wickets and helping India win the game with ease.
Prasidh then made his T20I debut against Ireland, where he picked four wickets in two matches, proving his worth in white-ball cricket. However, the greatest moment of Krishna's international journey came during India's tour of South Africa in 2023–24, where he was called a promising prospect for the future of Indian cricket before being handed his debut Test cap by then head coach Rahul Dravid.
Krishna failed to perform in that series and took only two wickets in two matches before being sidelined due to injury. He once again got the chance to don the white jersey for India during the Test against Australia in Sydney earlier this year, where he was the team's top wicket-taker with six wickets. Although India lost the game, Krishna proved he is still someone the team can bank on.
He even received incredible praise from Virat Kohli back in 2021 when Kohli was leading the Indian side. Kohli said having bowlers like Krishna, who can extract bounce and bowl with pace, is a luxury for any captain.
Incredible numbers in IPL
Krishna has incredible numbers in the IPL, where he has 74 wickets in 66 matches, which is very impressive. In the 2025 IPL, he picked 25 wickets, which won him the Purple Cap (awarded to the highest wicket-taker in the season) and was one of the reasons behind Gujarat Titans' brilliant run in the group stage.
His performance in the IPL also earned him praise from cricket experts all around. So much so, Aakash Chopra went ahead and compared him with Josh Hazlewood of Australia, saying, 'You see slingers, you see swingers, you see all kinds of bowlers in a sense. But you don't see a guy hitting the length ball after ball, ball after ball. And he's tall, high arm action, hits the sticker of the bat, and doesn't do anything else.'
Krishna just need game time
While Prasidh Krishna's sub-par economy rate can be infuriating at times, the pace has almost always been accompanied by wickets—and his records clearly state that. Krishna has:
13 wickets in 8 Test matches
29 wickets in 17 ODI matches
8 wickets in 5 T20I matches
74 wickets in 66 IPL matches
52 wickets in 13 Ranji Trophy matches
74 wickets in 41 matches in Vijay Hazare Trophy
These numbers prove he is a genuine wicket-taker at all levels of cricket.
With enough game time under his belt, Krishna can prove himself to be one of the best pacers the nation has ever produced. However, given that India is currently going through a phase of transition, he also has to start delivering wickets consistently to become a regular member of the side.