‘This has happened to…’: Sanjay Bangar supports Prasidh Krishna despite tough start vs South Africa

India made 245 runs in their first innings at the end of day two of the first Test match between South Africa and India. KL Rahul stood out with a spectacular century, making 101 runs off just 137 balls. At stumps, South Africa is ahead by 11 runs after 66 overs and 256/5 overall. Prasidh Krishna got one wicket for 61 runs in 15 overs, while Jasprit Bumrah collected two wickets for 48 runs in 16 overs among the Indian bowlers. Dean Elgar, the opening batsman for South Africa, amassed 140 runs off of 211 balls without losing his wicket. On Thursday, December 28, 2023, at 1:30 p.m., the game resumes at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium.

3 things you need to know 

• KL Rahul scored 101 runs in 137 balls in India’s 1st innings 
• Dean Elgar will continue with his bat on Day 3 after scoring 140* in 211 balls so far 
• South Africa leads the match with 11 runs at the end of the Day 2 

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Sanjay Bangar backs Prasidh Krishna despite a tough start in South Africa Test series 

In the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar showed his support for speedster Prasidh Krishna in spite of a difficult beginning to his Test career. On Day 2, Prasidh managed to take his first Test wicket but gave up 61 runs in 15 overs, failing to match Jasprit Bumrah's feat. Bangar compared Bumrah's early struggles in Test cricket with his own experiences as a member of the team management during the 2018 South Africa trip.

Sanjay Bangar discussed Prasidh Krishna's difficult introduction to Test cricket in an interview with Star Sports on Wednesday. He also brought up Bumrah's similar challenges at the start of his Test career.Sanjay Bangar said: 

“I feel this can happen. This has happened to somebody like a 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.”

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Sanjay Bangar believes that hitting hard lengths can aid  Prasidh Krishna

Bangar expressed his thoughts, advising Prasidh Krishna to adjust his concentration from looking for the swing to bowling in the slot. Instead, he believes Prasidh should focus on getting more bounce from the surface. He added: 

“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.”

India will be depending on Prasidh Krishna to settle into a groove since South Africa has a narrow 11-run advantage. It is hoped that he can quickly demolish the Proteas batting order, working with Bumrah and the other bowlers to enable India to take the lead as soon as feasible.