A BCCI source informed PTI on Wednesday that India speedster Prasidh Krishna will not play in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, which begins on November 4, since he has not yet fully recovered from his hamstring injury. Prasidh may be replaced in the ODI squad by Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi, who is now in New Zealand.
Prasidh’s availability for the first ODI in Auckland is seriously questioned because he is slated to participate in match simulations on November 1 and 2. The second and third ODIs are set for November 7 and November 10, respectively, but it is unclear if the team management and selectors will take the chance of fielding him in either of those games; this is also dependent on CoE approval.
Prasidh’s inclusion for the first three ODIs was marked “subject to fitness clearance” in the BCCI’s October 16 team release. He was left out of the side for the last two ODIs, along with a number of red-ball experts, including skipper Shubman Gill.
Prasidh has been at the CoE ever since he sustained a hamstring injury on September 30 during the second ODI against the West Indies. The fact that additional tests are now scheduled for November 1 and 2 indicates that the original evaluation, which he performed on October 22, did not yield the necessary results for clearance.
The CoE states, as reported by Cricbuzz, “Gradual Workload Increase: Skill-specific loading will be increased progressively, with continued clinical monitoring. Immediate Priority: The focus is on gradually achieving the required bowling workload ahead of the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.”
According to reports, skipper Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir are eager to have Prasidh available for the two-Test series, which will determine whether or not India advances to the World Test Championship final. Even if he is given partial clearance, the team management may decide not to risk him in the remaining ODIs due to the importance of those games.
