"The first ball, I had clearly planned...": Krishna on gameplan during fifth day of Oval Test against England

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 2 (ANI): Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna, who played a key role in drawing the Test series against England, spoke on his game plan on the final day of the fifth Test and recalled how the match is "going to stay with him forever".

Defending a total of 374 runs in the series decider, the pacer bowled extremely well in tandem with Mohammed Siraj, which saw England collapse from 301/4 to 367 all out, falling just six runs short of winning the series.

On the final day, England needed 35 runs to win, and India needed four wickets.

It was Krishna who brought India back in the hunt, with quick wickets of Brook and Jacob Bethell, reducing England to 332/5.

"The first ball, I had clearly planned, was going to be a bouncer. It made me feel like I could set up the over - or even the following overs - better, knowing how the bouncer was behaving. I felt that was one of my main weapons," recalled Krishna as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"That ball went for a boundary, but it also helped me understand what was happening with the pitch. The second one was an inside edge altogether. Even with eight runs coming off the first two balls, I was still pretty composed. I knew I had to hit a certain area, a certain length, and let the ball do the talking," he added.

Siraj, Krishna recalled, was getting a great deal of swing, while he himself could not for the first couple of overs. It was Siraj taking the wicket of wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, which "changed everything".

"Siraj, from the other end, started off really well. The ball was swinging - not as much for me in the first couple of overs, but it was swinging for him. So I had to pull myself back a little and ask myself, 'Okay, what can I do now? How do I get straighter?'

"The wicket of Jamie Smith changed everything. From there, it was about us being consistent in the right areas, and then it was just a matter of time before the wickets fell," he added.

Speaking on his emotions following the series draw by 2-2, Krishna said that it was a "big sigh".

"The joy, the shouting, the celebration we had right after the last wicket fell - it was all relief. We had put in so much as a team - every single person out there - so much mental grit and physical effort to win from the situation we were in," he added.

"It was just that sigh of relief saying, 'Okay, we have put in so much effort', and when you put in all that effort and actually end up on the positive side, it gives you such a sense of satisfaction. After that, we all went back, sat together, and spoke about how we did so many things right, and how it felt like we are a team that can fight from any situation we are put into," he continued.

Prasidh said that he could not explain the feeling soon after India had won. Even after a month, a lot of these moments feel like a blur to him.

"When I sit and watch the game now, it does not feel the same - because being out there, the atmosphere was so good, so electric, and the joy was so immense. That is something that will stay with me forever. I don't think I will ever feel a similar moment just sitting back and watching from the outside," he concluded.

Krishna ended the tour with 14 wickets, the fourth-highest by a bowler at an average of 37.07, with best figures of 4/62.

The upcoming Asia Cup will serve as key preparation for Asia's finest teams ahead of next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka. India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10 in Dubai. Prasidh is a reserve player and is not a part of the main squad. This comes despite his exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Gujarat Titans (GT), taking 25 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 19.52, with best figures of 4/41, which earned him the 'Purple Cap' honour.

Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh. Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)

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