Kolkata: Sports is in his blood, indeed.
His father Murali was a pacer of college team. His mother Kalavathi was a state level volleyball player. It was very likely that he would also become a sports fanatic.
Prasidh Krishna followed his father’s footsteps and preferred to be a professional cricketer. How did cricket come in life? “It’s like any other boy in his childhood. I was playing a lot of cricket outside my house in my locality. So it’s not something that I want to play cricket or I am going to play cricket like my father did. It’s just that I ended up playing cricket. I was doing well at that time in age level and I continued to play cricket,” the Indian team’s pacer, who is to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming IPL, tells ABP LIVE Bengali in an exclusive interview.
It was his childhood coach Srinivas Murthi who first made Prasidh realize his potential and encouraged him to become a fast bowler. Prasidh is 6.2 feet, can move the ball both ways and most significantly, can bowl with a speed of 145 kmph consistently, which makes him a promising face in the game of cricket.
Prasidh looks very calm even after batsmen have a go against him. What is the chemistry of keeping yourself so calm and composed all the time? “I trained under the tutelage of great Glenn McGrath in MRF Pace Foundation at Chennai. McGrath sir himself was a very calm and composed sort of bowler who could control his temperament in every sort of situation. I would say yes it played a little bit of role in me being calm and composed but that's how I wanted to be. I want to be calm and composed all times whatever be the situation. And that is one of the key factors in my game,” said Prasidh.
The right arm pacer from Karnataka revealed that it’s Brett Lee whom he follows from his early days. “I loved Brett Lee's action and he has been someone who was in my mindset since I started playing cricket. I look up to Brett Lee for inspiration,” said Prasidh.
He made a record on his ODI debut against England in the just concluded series which India won 2-1, becoming the first Indian Pacer to take four wickets on his first ODI appearance. Did you collect the match ball? Prasidh said, “I think I would have got it if I had a five for. I really wouldn't want to take the ball away with a four wicket haul. It may be one of the best figures for a debutant. But still I am looking for getting my five for and take the ball away with me.”
What is the lesson that you learnt from Indian dressing room? “I think the way they carry themselves, about how professionals they are, about how they could handle situations. There were tough situations that we were facing but the way Virat Bhai (Virat Kohli) or Rohit Bhai (Rohit Sharma) handle those situations were really really great learning experiences for me,” concluded the new hope of Indian cricket.