Prasidh Krishna looked fit. And he looked dangerous too.
It was Prasidh’s fast bowling that ended India C’s spirited resistance and won the Duleep Trophy for India A in the final hour at the Rural Development Trust Stadium. India A coach Sunil Joshi was all smiles as he spoke about the pacer’s impressive performance in his second match after a long break due to injury.
“I am very happy that he is back in form and in the news again,” Joshi told The Hindu. “He was also bowling at a good pace and scoring consistently in the 140s.”
The former Indian all-rounder is also happy that the Duleep Trophy final was played on a sporting track. “It was one of the best wickets I have seen in India,” he said. “It was good that there was something for both the bowlers and the batsmen.”
He said that crowd is also a positive aspect. A large number of people come here every day.
“It is important to take the game to smaller cities and towns,” Joshi said. “Seeing all these Test and IPL players might inspire some kids to take up cricket.”
Joshi is all praise for Shashvat Rawat, one of the finds of the tournament. The left-hander not only topped the batting averages (85.33) but also looked solid in defence and attractive in his strokeplay. “I had seen his stats in the Ranji Trophy as I keep a close eye on domestic players,” the former chief national selector said. “He is a consistent and brilliant player. And I think the selectors led by Ajit Agarkar have done a good job in selecting the teams for the Duleep Trophy.”
Talking about the final, he said his team played excellent red-ball cricket. “Captain Mayank Agarwal did a good job,” he said. “Our spinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian bowled well, and I thought India-C’s Sai Sudharsan played a brilliant innings.”
Published – September 24, 2024 08:23 PM IST