Prasidh Krishna has been cleared to return to competitive cricket after successfully passing fitness assessments at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The right-arm pacer underwent two days of intensive simulation testing on November 1 and 2, meeting the necessary requirements to be declared fit for all formats of the game. The India pacer has received clearance from the CoE medical team, following simulation tests conducted over the last two days in the Bengaluru facility. According to as, By on October 28, Prasidh (30) had to undergo simulation tests on November 1 and 2, and it has now emerged that the pacer, who is rapidly establishing himself as a reliable option, has come through them successfully.
The 30-year-old bowler is expected to travel to New Zealand immediately to link up with the India A side for their third and final four-day match, which begins on November 7. While he has been ruled out of the ongoing five-match ODI series that commenced on November 4, this unofficial Test appearance serves as a crucial opportunity for him to regain match rhythm. Possibly as early as the next available flight, so that he can be available for the third and final unofficial Test between India A and a New Zealand side, starting November 7, the pacer is expected to fly to New Zealand shortly.
Prasidh’s path to recovery followed a hamstring injury sustained during the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati on September 30. Although he was initially named in the squad for the opening three matches of the New Zealand series, the BCCI withdrew him on October 30, noting that he required additional time to build his workload following an unsuccessful simulation attempt on October 22. Prasidh underwent a match simulation on October 22 but could not clear it resulting in the withdrawal of his name from the ODI squad.
The recovery comes at a vital time for the national setup, as head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill consider the pacer a key asset for the upcoming Test series. With India navigating a challenging path toward World Test Championship qualification, Prasidh’s return provides necessary depth for the matches starting on November 19 and November 27 respectively.
