Prasidh Krishna’s fiery spell propelled India-A to victory in the Duleep Trophy final, ending the spirited resistance of India-C. The seamer’s impressive performance, in only his second game after a lengthy injury layoff, earned him praise from India-A coach Sunil Joshi.
“I am very glad that he has come back into form and is back in the reckoning,” Joshi said. “He was bowling at good speed too, clocking 140’s consistently.”
Joshi also expressed his satisfaction with the sporting track provided for the final. “This was one of the best wickets I have come across in India,” he said. “It was nice that there was something for the bowlers and the batters.”
The crowd’s presence was another positive aspect of the match. “It is important to take the game to smaller cities and towns like this,” Joshi said. “Some of the kids might be inspired to take up cricket after watching all these Test and IPL players.”
Joshi lauded Shashwat Rawat, one of the tournament’s standout performers. The left-hander not only topped the batting average (85.33) but also displayed solid defense and elegant strokeplay. “I had seen his numbers in the Ranji Trophy as I follow domestic players closely,” said Joshi. “He is a compact and elegant player. And I think the selectors led by Ajit Agarkar have done a good job in picking the teams for the Duleep Trophy.”
Regarding the final, Joshi believed his team played the perfect red-ball cricket. “Captain Mayank Agarwal did a good job,” he said. “Our spinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian bowled well, and I thought it was a splendid innings by India-C’s Sai Sudharsan.”
