Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, has kept young fast bowler Prasidh Krishna in radar for selection in the T20 World Cup in Australia. The national team already has tried and tested speedsters in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar. Virat is looking for a surprise element, who can trouble batsmen of the highest quality with pace and bounce.

Krishna hasn’t quite put his best foot forward in T20 cricket, having picked 24 wickets from 28 matches  at an economy of 8.66. But, the 23-year-old has flourished in List A cricket. In the 2019-20 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he picked up 17 wickets from eight matches. The performances didn’t elude Virat’s eyes and the Indian captain heaped praises on him for the same.

Kohli lauds Krishna

“I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia, someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce. Prasidh Krishna has done well in the domestic arena as well,” Virat Kohli was quoted as saying in the post-match presentation of India’s second T20I against Sri Lanka at the Holkar Stadium.

Krishna has also had the privilege of plying his trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Back in 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roped him as a replacement and he impressed in his maiden season. Albeit, he floundered a tad last time around, the Knights didn’t lose faith and retained him.

Virat was also happy to have Bumrah back in the mix. The pacer made his comeback after recovering from a stress fracture on his lower back. The seamer made his return after almost four months and made impacts right away. Bumrah blew a bit hot and cold in his spell in Indore. He gave away 32 runs in his quota of four overs and got Dasun Shanaka’s wicket.

But Virat was happy with how Team India’s premier fast bowler bowled on the day. “Really pleased to have Jasprit back in the side. He’s bowling with pace again. You’ll have to figure out who are the people that are very similar in their bowling skills, and you pick the senior one,” the Delhi-born Virat added.