Morne Morkel praises Prasidh Krishna’s development at SSC during second Test
Morne Morkel praised Prasidh Krishna’s progress into a world-class bowler at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on August 25, 2026, during the second Test between India and Sri Lanka. Prasidh took three wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings, and Morkel credited Mohammed Siraj’s consistency for helping India’s pace battery regain momentum in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence.
India’s pace attack has adapted despite missing Jasprit Bumrah, with Mohammed Siraj’s form and Prasidh Krishna’s evolution cited as central to that revival. Bowling coach Morne Morkel spoke to the media at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Tuesday and highlighted Prasidh’s temperament under scrutiny. “It just shows the character of Prasidh, he has the media, commentators on his back, to fight through that and to bowl in the moment, that for me is very impressive. In an environment where you are under the microscope, every movement gets analysed, and sometimes you try and fight those elements. I think Prasidh now is just enjoying his cricket and loves bowling,” Morkel said.
Prasidh’s three wickets in the Sri Lankan first innings drew direct praise from Morkel, who pointed to the bowler’s preparation and work ethic. “The results are showing. He works hard, does his research on the opposition. He is a massive student of the game and it is great to see him develop into a world-class bowler. In all formats, he has the potential to play for a very long time,” Morkel said, linking performance to sustained preparation.
Morkel also assessed the playing surface and batting resistance, stressing the match did not necessarily suit the expectation of quick dismissals. “Sometimes we think the pitch looks nice and dry, and we need to bowl teams out for 180, 200. Unfortunately at times, it is not going to work like that. These are tough conditions and the ball goes soft quickly,” he said, noting the challenges bowlers faced.
A photograph from the match showed India’s Prasidh Krishna and teammates celebrating the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Kamil Mishara on the third day of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on August 25, 2026. Photo Credit: ANI.
Morkel provided a brief injury update on wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant after he was struck while keeping. “He got hit on the shoulder, badly bruised, we will keep monitoring him and hopefully he will be behind the stumps”, Morkel said, indicating the team would continue to assess his condition.
Morkel identified securing the follow-on by dismissing the last two Sri Lankan batsmen early as the immediate objective and emphasised the importance of bowling as many overs as possible given the weather. “The follow-on, that will be the first prize if we can get the last two wickets early. With the weather being the way it is, we need to get in as many overs against the Sri Lankans.”
