There was considerable chatter before the series over who would partner Mohammed Siraj in India’s pace attack. Gurnoor Brar had strengthened his case with a 10-wicket haul for India A and another impressive outing in the warm-up match, but the team management backed Prasidh Krishna for the Galle Test. After a strong second-innings spell there, the tall seamer followed it up with another excellent performance in Colombo, returning figures of 3/47 in 14 overs.

Bowling coach Morne Morkel said the biggest change in Prasidh had been mental rather than technical.

“As a team and as management, we always knew about the potential. For him, it is about quieting those voices and just playing cricket,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

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Morkel added that Prasidh had learned to ignore the outside noise and trust his own game.

“The biggest change is that he has let go of all those thoughts and all those comments, and he’s just enjoying his cricket and loves bowling. I think the results are showing for themselves. He’s an extremely hard worker. He’s a guy that will do a lot of homework going into games, doing a lot of research on the opposition. So for me, he’s a massive student of the game, and it’s just great to see him grow and develop into a world-class bowler. I think for India, in all formats, he’s got the potential and the talent to play for a very long time,” he added.

Prasidh Krishna of India celebrates the wicket of Kamindu Mendis of Sri Lanka during Day 3 of the 2nd Test match between Sri Lanka and India at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 25, 2026. (CREIMAS)

Morkel said Prasidh’s short-ball role is often a deliberate tactical call by the team, and credited the pacer for embracing the difficult job while growing into a more complete bowler despite external criticism.

“Prasidh has got that extra pace. He’s got that bounce for us. We’re going to use him in certain phases where it might be risky, but we might get the reward as well. It is tough on him.”

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“It is sometimes a tough job, the donkey job, but I think he’s done that very well for us in the last two or three years. With that, his game has grown into the bowler that can hit that fuller length much more consistently, which is great to see,” the former South African pacer said.

Overall, India’s bowlers had to go through a hard grind on a surface with minimal help to get eight wickets. Morkel felt that days like these helped develop character.

“We always talk about bowling in partnerships. We always talk about creating pressure. This is how you learn it – on days like today when there’s a batting partnership going. The key is to find that breakthrough. Then how well can you start your next 10 or 15 balls to the next batsman? That’s what the players and the young guys coming in are going to learn. That’s what they’re going to experience.”

“I welcome conditions and tough times like this. That builds character. That is how you learn your trade. It makes for great conversation after a day’s play. For us it’s just: keep asking questions, keep bowling your best ball, bowl well in partnerships and find ways to be creative to maybe get that sneaky wicket.”

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“We were quite lucky that we had 500 on the board, so we could try certain options. In terms of playing Test cricket in these conditions, I love it,” he said.

Sri Lanka still trail India by 238 runs and are only a few runs away from making India bat again. But the visitors have a bigger goal in sight: two early wickets on the fourth morning would allow them to enforce the follow-on and put Sri Lanka straight back under pressure. Morkel was clear about the plan.

“That will be the first prize if we can get those two wickets tomorrow morning early. I know it’s a cliché, but with the weather around and the time it takes putting the covers on and off, we want to try and get as many overs as possible at Sri Lanka. Hopefully we can get those wickets tomorrow; be brave, put them in and bowl well,” he said.