Competition with great bowlers paid off: Prasidh after 5-wicket haul

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, who took a career-best 5/23 against Afghanistan, credited learning from senior bowlers in the Gujarat Titans and India setup for his success. India easily chased down 218, powered by a Yashasvi Jaiswal century.

Following his match-winning five-wicket haul for India, pacer Prasidh Krishna admitted that having a bunch of great bowlers in the Gujarat Titans (GT) and India set-up in the Indian Premier League (IPL), learning and competing with them paid off for him. Krishna registered a career-best figure of 5/23 and secured his first ODI five-wicket haul, reducing Afghanistan to 37/4 in the powerplay before Azmatullah Omarzai and Hashmatullah Omarzai put on a century stand, which ultimately took Afghanistan to 218 runs, which was never going to be enough against a power-packed Indian batting line-up, as Rohit Sharma and centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal put on 170 runs for the opening wicket.

'Competition keeps you going'

Speaking after the match, Prasidh said, "Honestly, that is really helpful when you have some real good bowlers alongside (Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Ishan Sharma etc in the Gujarat Titans set-up. You keep learning from each other. There is always competition in the net. So that is what keeps you going when you have the right kind of group around you. You always push each other to do better, and I think that has paid off."

'It is like homework for me'

On the tactics that he has involved in his bowling, he said, "I think it is just that trying to hit the lengths as a team, whatever we discuss, whatever the tactic is. We just sit and think about the game and what is needed, and it is like homework for me."

'Happier with the five'

Krishna admitted that after getting a four-wicket haul, he wanted to bowl an extra over immediately, but he told himself that there was still a lot of time left, having taken four wickets in the powerplay phase itself. "But then I came back in, and I saw, look, four wickets, five wickets, I am definitely happier with the five, but if I had not got it, I am sure we would still end up on the winning side. So I am happy with that," he added.

India cruise to victory

After a century from skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (102 in 131 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and fifty from Azmatullah Omarzai (50 in 56 balls, with five fours and two sixes) carried Afghanistan to 218 after a pace onslaught from Prasidh Krishna (5/23), Jaiswal (110* in 86 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes) and Rohit Sharma (79 in 69 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) ate into the majority of the target by themselves with a 170-run stand for the first wicket. Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer (20*) motored along to the target, with over 21 overs left. (ANI)

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