BENGALURU: When Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna was recuperating from a side strain sustained during the 2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinals, India skipper Virat Kohli, after India’s T20 win against Sri Lanka in January last year, surprised many.
Kohli said: “I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia, someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce. Prasidh Krishna has done well in the domestic arena as well.”

Kohli was referring to the T20 World Cup which was scheduled in Australia this year but will now be played in India.
While Australia will host the T20 World Cup in 2022, the surprise package was delivered on Friday, with Prasidh being named in the team for the three-match ODI series starting in Pune next week.
The maiden national call-up for the 25-year-old comes at a time when Prasidh is rediscovering himself as a bowler and will be a huge confidence booster for the lanky bowler.
Prasidh, who made his white ball debut for the state in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, had to warm the bench for a while with Karnataka boasting a competent pace unit in R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Sreenath Arvind and Ronit More.

When opportunity came calling, he made the most of it. In Karnataka’s Vijay Hazare title-winning campaigns in 2017-18 & 2019-20 he picked up 34 wickets and this season, he ended up with 14 wickets in Karnataka’s run which ended in the semifinals earlier this month.
Speaking to TOI about his maiden call-up, an elated Prasidh said, “It is exciting to be a part of this Indian team. It feels great to even think that I will get to rub shoulders with stalwarts who are part of the best team in the world. I know the team encourages youngsters a lot. Also, I’m looking forward to picking the brains of the players and the coaching staff.”
Prasidh is determined not to allow pressure to get to him. “It is an important series for me, especially since this is my maiden call-up. I’m going to focus on giving my best while enjoying the game,” he stated.
Prasidh is among the clutch of IPL discoveries who have earned the national team call-ups. On that count, he is grateful for the platform Kolkata Knight Riders provided.
KKR picked Prasidh as a late injury replacement for Kamlesh Nagarkoti in 2017 and have persisted with him since. In 24 matches for the two-time champions, he has claimed 18 wickets with 4/30 being his best.
Acknowledging the franchise’s contribution, Prasidh pointed out, “Kolkata Knight Riders gave me the first big platform and I’m grateful for that. They saw something in me and encouraged me to push the boundaries and challenge myself. They have really looked after me very well.”