‘They say he is being played because of the Gujarat lobby’ – Aakash Chopra praises Prasidh Krishna after five-for in 3rd ODI vs AFG

Aakash Chopra lavished praise on Prasidh Krishna after the 30-year-old picked up his maiden five-for in ODI cricket on Saturday, June 20. The right-arm seamer took the new ball at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and made the Afghanistan batters dance to his tunes.

Chopra said that Krishna silenced his critics who had even said that he gets picked in the side because he plays for the Gujarat Titans, the franchise led by Indian captain Shubman Gill.

“Prasidh Krishna was given the new ball against Australia in Indore in 2023. He had taken wickets with the new ball there as well. However, he didn’t get the new ball at all after that. He didn’t get a chance to play. We were checking who has taken the most wickets for India in their first series,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“Prasidh Krishna’s name was there in that list as well. He had taken six wickets in his first series, and Gurnoor Brar took seven this time. However, how many chances has he got after that? Very few. He has been trolled many times as to why Prasidh is played. They say he is being played because of the Gujarat lobby. By the way, he is not from Gujarat. He is from Karnataka,” he added.

“We had said long ago that this Krishna would become Prasidh” – Aakash Chopra on Prasidh Krishna’s five-wicket haul

Chopra highlighted how Krishna managed to get the ball to swing and induce outside edges. The former India opener said that it isn’t easy to pick up five-wicket hauls in white-ball cricket.

“We had said long ago that this Krishna would become Prasidh, and he is bowling well. He bowled full, got the ball to swing, and induced outside edges. He was brilliant. It’s not easy to take a five-wicket haul in white-ball cricket, and he did that. The first two overs were maidens,” he said.

Chopra mentioned that Krishna has always extracted extra bounce thanks to his tall frame but on Saturday, he became even more lethal because he was able to move the ball sideways.

“Height, pace, extra bounce, and sideways movement. I think sideways movement was the differentiator because he has always had height and bounce. The ability to bowl full, get the ball to swing a little, and to deliver on the seam with backspin, those things stood out. It was an important series for him,” Chopra observed.

After dismissing Afghanistan for 218, India romped home in 28 overs with nine wickets to spare. Krishna won the Player of the Match award after finishing with figures of 5/23 in 8.2 overs. India whitewashed Afghanistan 3-0 in a one-sided series.