"You don't have bowlers who can play all 3 formats" - Abhishek Nayar on whether Prasidh Krishna's T20 comeback can earn him a place in other formats

Abhishek Nayar believes Prasidh Krishna can become an all-format bowler for India if he is managed properly.

Krishna registered figures of 2/32 in four overs as India restricted Ireland to 139/7 in the first T20I in Malahide, Dublin, on Friday, August 18. The Men in Blue eventually registered a two-run win via the DLS method, with rain ending the game prematurely with their score reading 47/2 after 6.5 overs.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Nayar was asked whether Krishna can use his T20 comeback as a platform to get into the Asia Cup and potentially the World Cup squads, to which he responded:

"If you see Prasidh Krishna's graph, you don't have bowlers like him. You don't have bowlers who can play all three formats. I feel the selectors and management have always identified him as someone who can do that."

The former Indian all-rounder pointed out that the Karnataka seamer is eager to play all three formats. He observed:

"He likes to play Ranji Trophy. He enjoys bowling with the red ball. We have already seen how he has bowled in ODIs. We know how he does in T20s based on the IPL. He is a bowler who wants to play all three formats, it's not that he wants to play only ODIs or T20Is."

Krishna, who made his T20I debut in Friday's game, has picked up 25 wickets at an impressive average of 23.92 in 14 ODIs. He is yet to make his Test debut but has accounted for 49 dismissals at an exceptional average of 17.61 in 11 first-class games.

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"Can that workload be managed?" - Abhishek Nayar on Prasidh Krishna potentially playing all three formats

Prasidh Krishna (R) has picked up 109 wickets in 64 List A games.

However, Abhishek Nayar questioned whether Prasidh Krishna's workload can be managed if he plays all three formats along with the Indian Premier League. He explained:

"Can that workload be managed? I always have just one question for an Indian fast bowler - whether the workload management can happen because our fast bowlers play the IPL. When you play the IPL and you are playing 14 games and could be plus two or three, it means you are not getting an off-season."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added:

"So I feel that Prasidh Krishna or Jasprit Bumrah, your three-format players, have to be looked after to a level where he can play all formats but when are you going to use him and in which tournaments are you going to use him and how smartly are you going to use him, and that for me is the key."

Nayar praised Krishna for the spell he bowled in the first T20I, highlighting that it didn't look like he has come after a long layoff. While expressing his happiness, he added that India will also be elated with the 27-year-old's comeback.