Prasidh Krishna is likely to be out of action for three weeks; touch and go for New Zealand ODIs

India’s Prasidh Krishna (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna will be out for at least three weeks and could feature in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand starting on November 4.Prasidh suffered a left hamstring injury during the second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati and subsequently missed the third match of the series in New Chandigarh. He bowled just five overs in the Guwahati ODI before leaving the field in the 31st over of West Indies’ innings. He took one wicket in the match and has three wickets from the two ODIs he has played in the series.The 30-year-old is also a doubt for the opening round of the Ranji Trophy, which begins on October 11. Karnataka will begin their campaign against Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada.It is learned that Prasidh has applied to the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) in his hometown Bengaluru. He is expected to be back to full fitness in about three weeks and could start bowling at full intensity in four weeks.His recovery timeline could make his availability for the New Zealand series tricky. Even if he returns to bowling by then, there is no guarantee that he will be ready to play from the start of the series. India could also be forced to run their fast bowlers cautiously, with Test players expected to miss the last two ODIs against New Zealand.After the defeat in New Chandigarh, India captain Shubman Gill admitted that the absence of players due to injuries and scheduling issues was frustrating.“I would say it was unlucky, you know, with the injuries and with the schedule with the other games that are around. It was a bit unfortunate that we weren’t able to field the bowling line-up that we would have liked,” Gill told reporters.Gill hopes to have a full squad available for the New Zealand ODIs as India look to settle on a preferred combination ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.“Honestly, I don’t think there’s much time to experiment. The combination we want to play, hopefully we’ll get all the players available from the next series. The combination we want to play at the World Cup, we want to start playing with that combination,” he said.Prasidha’s fitness is therefore a significant concern for India. He is expected to be an important part of the team’s plans for the tour of New Zealand and the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. His injury adds to India’s growing list of concerns ahead of an important phase of their preparations.