I take complete responsibility, says Prasidh Krishna after leaking over 200 runs at Leeds

Birmingham: Beleaguered India seamer Prasidh Krishna has taken "complete responsibility" for his failure to hit the right lengths during a forgettable outing in the first Test against England, but said he was at all times trying to be parsimonious with his bowling.

Prasidh has been slammed by few former players after he leaked more than 200 runs in the series-opener at Leeds, which India lost by five wickets.

"If I look at the first innings, I was a little too short than where I wanted to be, 6-8 is ideal. Second innings it got slightly better, because again, the wicket was slightly slower. I had to pitch a few slightly behind 8, and go slightly fuller, when I am trying to get a wicket.

"I definitely did not bowl the lengths that I wanted to. It took me some time to get used to the slope on that side. No reasons, but I should be able to do it as a professional. I take complete responsibility about it, and maybe, do it better next time," Prasidh said at a press conference.

In the first innings, Prasidh gave away 128 runs in 20 overs at an economy of 6.40, one of the worst figures by an Indian bowler bowling a minimum of 20 overs in an innings. However, he got the wickets of Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith.

In the second innings, Prasidh gave India hope with the wickets of Zak Crawley and Pope in quick succession but his economy rate was again above six (6.10), conceding 92 runs in 15 overs.

"Every time I come out to bowl, I was definitely looking to bowl a maiden. I am not really trying to give away boundaries or anything. The outfield was fast. The lengths, lines that I bowled was not perfect, to be honest, at most times. And they took me on. Some of them were edges.

"Some of them, I tried bowling bouncers. But I ended up giving runs. But definitely, every time I come out to bowl, I was looking to keep the economy rate down and build the pressure up," Prasidh said.

The wind factor and rain

Wind was another big factor at Headingley, and it was often extremely blustery and cold, making life difficult for the players in the middle.

"You are trying to run in hard. The wind sometimes is on and off. So, it is very important to understand what the pace of the run-up is.

"And I did have a chat with a couple of other guys as well, asking them what they did to be at the right pace, when they are running in to bowl. So, that is about it."

The occasional rain and the drizzle also didn't help.

"Every time the ball goes on the ground, it became wet. And when the ball becomes wet, it is going to get softer. The shine is not going to be around. So, I think that did play a part.

"If there are clouds, there is going to be swing. If there is sun, there is not going to be swing. So, that is what we are looking to do. make sure we bowl the right areas. The gripping, I wouldn't say it was a problem.

"It just got softer. And the moment it got softer, the seam got softer, the amount of purchase you get from the pitch differs."

Positive dressing room

The 29-year-old seamer said the Indian dressing room remains very positive despite losing a match they could have won.

"Yeah, the dressing room is still nice and happy and very, very motivated. Like I said, we came here knowing what this opportunity meant for all of us.

"And even in the game today, we might have looked quiet at some stages. But I think we still had a plan. We wanted to do something and we went about doing it. We got two wickets in a cluster twice, and that still kept the motivation.

He said India did not give up till the very end.

"You know, as a bowling unit, we still ended up taking the new ball when they needed about 20 runs, with the same hope that something's going to happen.

"So, we were still there believing. We made sure till the last run is scored, we will be out there and making sure they work hard for it."

While he was criticised for his expensive figures by some former players, Prasidh received backing from head coach Gautam Gambhir.

"The culture we have created is we are learning off each other... no matter who is there, who is around, and Boom is around, he has been talking to us even before coming here. At least for me, I've been part of this team for few years now, so conversations are still going on," Prasidh said.

He added, "One thing you cannot get is experience, that you have to do it yourself and I think all of us are excited if you look at the team.

"It's my responsibility to get better and that's what I am trying, that's what I am working on, and I just want to make sure I put in the right kind of work, come back here, and put up better numbers."