'If I am asked to do a certain thing, but I get criticised from outside for it, it is okay.'
Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna, on Friday, spoke about missing out on two Test matches following poor performances in the first couple of Tests at Leeds and Birmingham, saying that time away from playing eleven helped him go back to the drawing board and self assess.
Krishna's four-wicket haul, which caused England's batting to collapse from 142/2 to 215/7, bowling in tandem with Mohammed Siraj, was one of the highlights of an action-packed day two of the fifth Test at The Oval.
The lanky pacer started the series on a poor note, taking just six wickets in four innings and conceding 331 runs during the first two Tests, which led to him missing the Lord's and Manchester Tests. During these two Tests, he attempted short-pitched deliveries as requested by the team, but the tactic misfired.
Speaking on his omission from these two games, Krishna said during the presser, "Well, I think I have been picked here because I can do what the job that the team asked me to do. I am definitely being backed by the dressing room, and my playing the next two games also enabled me to go back to the drawing board and do what I have been doing in a better way.
"If I can bowl the lengths better than what I did previously, if every part of my skill increases by five or ten per cent when I am not playing, I am happy to do that," he added.
"Every time I am here on the field, I am here to do the job for the team. If I am asked to do a certain thing, but I get criticised from outside for it, it is okay. Criticism and praise are dependent on performance, and for me in life, it is not about the performance, but rather the process you follow," he added.
So far in three Tests, Krishna has taken 10 wickets at an average of 39.30, with best figures of 4/62.
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