‘I feel this can happen’ - Sanjay Bangar comes to Prasidh Krishna’s defense after pacer's dismal Test debut

The Indian team found itself in a spot of trouble on Day 2 of the ongoing Test against South Africa. The hosts took an 11-run lead in the clash as they scored 256 runs with a loss of five wickets by the time the second day ended. After the day’s play, many came forward to discuss the performance of the Indian bowlers in the clash so far.

27-year-old Prasidh Krishna came under the radar as he was one of the costliest bowlers on the day. Leaking 61 runs in 15 overs at an economy of 4.06, Krishna only managed to take one wicket to his name.

However, as his performance attracted many critics, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar came to his aid and opined that he is not the only bowler to have a below-par start to his Test career. Taking the example of Jasprit Bumrah, Bangar defended Krishna’s performances.

"I feel this can happen. This has happened to somebody like Jasprit Bumrah as well. I still remember the first test, which happened in Cape Town. On Day 1, he went for 60-70 runs. After that he resorted to his natural length, which is hitting the length hard," Bangar told Star Sports. 

He can still be a handful: Bangar

Furthermore,  Bangar went on to say that Krishna can still be a handful for the bowlers when he sticks to his line and length. He stated that while he took his time to get into the groove, the 27-year-old looked much more comfortable in the latter stages. 

"That's what you saw, the clear of point of difference that the team management was hoping from Prasidh might not come into great effect in the first spell itself. But in the second spell, we saw if he can stick to that length of hitting the deck hard and not go searching for swing, he can still be a handful. Early days for Prasidh, but he is not the only one who has had a sort of a below-average start to his Test career," Bangar said.