Leg and Off: Did India err by picking Harshit Rana ahead of Prasidh Krishna in BGT 2024-25?

Prasidh Krishna finally got his opportunity in the fifth Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test in Sydney. He made it count right away with an impressive performance in the first innings with the ball.

The 28-year-old picked up three wickets and was economical as well, giving away just 42 runs in 15 overs. Moreover, he provided crucial breakthroughs, accounting for the wickets of Steve Smith (33), Beau Webster (57), and Alex Carey (21).

Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh took to X (formerly Twitter) to state that India missed a trick by not picking Prasidh Krishna from the beginning of the series. Talking about his form in the India A games ahead of the main series, the former cricketer added that selecting Harshit Rana over Krishna did not make sense to him.

"After having seen what he’d done in the India-A games prior to the test series, picking Harshit Rana ahead of Prasidh made no cricketing sense whatsoever. Prasidh was in great rhythm; and India missed a trick by not picking him from the beginning #BGT2024 #AUSvIND," he tweeted.

Harshit Rana played the first Test of the series in Perth. He was a part of the side in the second Test played in Adelaide.

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Did India err by picking Harshit Rana ahead of Prasidh Krishna in BGT 2024-25?

Harshit Rana performed well in the opening Test in Perth, grabbing four wickets. However, he failed to replicate his performance in Adelaide and had a horrible outing with the ball.

On the other hand, Prasidh Krishna impressed in his maiden outing of the series, picking up three wickets in the first innings of the fifth Test. It can be argued that both bowlers did well in their respective first games of the series.

However, as mentioned by Dodda Ganesh, Prasidh was in great form coming into this series. He was a part of the India A team that played a couple of games ahead of the main series. The pacer stood out with his performance, bagging ten wickets across both games.

While Rana did do well in Perth, an in-form and in-rhythm Prasidh Krishna could have proved to be more effective. The 28-year-old also gets the ball to skid, which could have made him a better option with the pink ball in Adelaide.

It can also be argued that both pacers have pretty similar skill sets in terms of hitting the deck hard and bowling at a good pace. These are the skills required as a pacer, especially in the Australian conditions. The difference, however, is the experience the two bowlers have.

Prasidh Krishna has played 21 first-class matches and his experience was reflected in the India A games as well. Meanwhile, Harshit has played only 12 first-class games so far.

With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj being the frontline pacers throughout, India tried the likes of Harshit Rana and Akash Deep across the four Tests. With the kind of form and rhythm Prasidh was in, picking him over Harshit could have been a better option for India.

Perhaps the visitors failed to leverage his form in Australian conditions. A fairly experienced pacer over an inexperienced Harshit Rana right from the start of the series could have provided Bumrah and Siraj with better support.