First thing I picked from McGrath was to remain in the present: Prasidh
Mar 24, 2021
New Delhi [India], March 24 : Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath on Wednesday congratulated pacer Prasidh Krishna on making his dream ODI debut for India against England in the series-opener on Tuesday.
McGrath had worked on honing Prasidh's skills at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai back in 2017.
"Congratulations Prasidh @skiddyy on taking 4/54 & breaking the Indian record for most wickets taken by a bowler on ODI debut. Well done mate #cricket #mrfpacefoundation #fbc," McGrath wrote in the Instagram post.
Prasidh, who also went to the CA Centre of Excellence in Brisbane in 2019 as part of MRF Pace Foundation's MoU with Cricket Australia, was overwhelmed by his mentor's appreciation post.
"The difference he made was to bring in that aura of calmness and also he was very specific about the line and length with respect to different pitches. He always spoke of being consistent. The first thing I picked from him was to remain in the present under all circumstances as it is the most important aspect for a bowler when you are playing a game," Kolkata Knight Riders official website quoted Prasidh as saying on McGrath's contribution to his career.
Defending 318, Prasidh was being hammered left, right and centre by England's Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy in the first ODI, but he staged a comeback to dismiss Roy and Ben Stokes in quick succession.
He went on to take the wickets of Sam Billings and Tom Curran as India registered a 66-run victory to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. The pacer finished with figures of 4-54 from 8.1 overs and as a result, he recorded the best figures by an Indian on ODI debut.
Jonny Bairstow might have played a 94-run knock, but the Indian bowlers came back strongly to take away the game. India and England will now lock horns in the second ODI on Friday.
