Nagpur, Nov 10 (IANS): Shane Bond, the newly-recruited assistant coach and fast bowling coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008 champion Rajasthan Royals, believes India pacer Prasidh Krishna is an exciting cricketer who’s got immense potential to excel in the game.

Krishna had worked under Bond during the Royals’ off-season training camp at the High-Performance Center in Nagpur, before being called up as Hardik Pandya’s replacement in India’s squad for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup.

Krishna has 29 wickets in 17 ODIs, playing in the series against Australia in September, followed by playing for Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

He returned from a long layoff due to a stress fracture of the back when India toured Ireland for T20Is in August and played an Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in September.

“Prasidh is a hugely exciting player with immense potential. It was good to have the chance to work with him and understand the way he ticks, the way he thinks about the game, and where he sees his own game at present.”

“We also discussed what he wants to do going forward, and for me, it’s about understanding how he wants me to work with him, and the improvements we can make to enhance his skills.”

“I know he’s gone through a back surgery which I also had, so it’s something common between us, and I can understand some of the challenges that he’s had, so the focus will be on making sure he’s doing the right things and getting back to where he belongs – which is at the top,” said Bond in a statement issued by the franchise.

Bond, the former New Zealand pacer, was associated with the Mumbai Indians set-up for close to nine years, before joining Rajasthan. He feels during his time in Mumbai, he found the Royals to be a tough team to beat.

“Being at Mumbai, the Royals were always a bit of a tricky team for us. I felt they recruited some great players, especially at the last mega auction, and were very smart in the way they did things.

"When you looked at the team from the outside, you could see they were trying to be different and trying to find ways to get better, not just in terms of spending money, but in the way they think, so it’s quite an interesting high-performance set-up to be part of,” he said.

Bond also shared the story behind how he came on board at Rajasthan. “Obviously I was with another franchise for a long time, which was a good experience. In professional sports, some things come to an end, and so it created an opportunity for me to go somewhere else and explore my options. The chance to deal with a different crop of players seemed exciting from a personal point of view, and also reinvigorating from a coaching perspective.”

“My initial conversations with Kumar (Sangakkara) and Jake (Lush McCrum) were pretty insightful. They took me through what the franchise was about, and what it stands for, and it made me see potential in the team in terms of improvements they can make and how I can contribute to their success.”

“It is really exciting to come to a franchise which is very analytically minded and focused on being a high-performance team, and that is similar to how I like to work. We’ve got a really good roster of players, and I’m already starting to work with them in the off-season which will put us in good stead for next season.”

“I obviously know Sanga for a long time now, and then there’s Giles (Director – Analytics & Technology) who I’ve worked with before among others.

"So it’s a whole group of people who I’ve already got a relationship with. There’s of course Boulty (Trent Boult) and Jos (Buttler) who I’ve worked with before, and then an exciting group of talented players who I’m really looking forward to working with.”

Bond also emphasized on the importance of off-season development for the players in a busy cricketing schedule. “It is becoming increasingly important to engage with our team throughout the year. The IPL is the most competitive league in the world for a reason, and that means that we have to make sure our players are always performing at the highest level with consistent intensity so that when the season comes, they turn up in the best possible physical state.”

“We also have the chance to see some of them playing across teams that fall under our franchise group, but it’s important to make sure that we are working closely with the player, and their national board, and ensuring everything is done in the best interests of the individual which can accelerate their growth and enhance performance.”