MSK Prasad, the chairman of the national selection panel, provided an assurance that Indian cricket was in very good hands with a succession plan for every slot in an interview with Wisden India on Tuesday. He also provided some clarity on the future of veterans Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh who are both above the age of 35, especially with the impending World Cup in 2019.
“We will have to take a decision, let’s see how it goes,” said the former India wicket-keeper. “We all know who can add value. Again, we will go slot by slot. We should know when to take a call. It’s not that suddenly you take a call and you are nowhere. You can’t be totally unprepared, so we need to be balanced on that aspect.”
The recent months have seen the team experiment with youngsters and the 42-year-old backed the move. “ Since we are doing really well, there is nothing wrong in trying out youngsters as well so that we can have a better succession chart, and the transition should also be smooth,” reasoned Prasad. “Otherwise, what happens is what you see with some of the other countries. I don’t see that they had a clear-cut plan and vision for the future. Suddenly, there is a dearth of talent and that should not happen with us.”
But it has not just been youngsters. Veterans Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik have also made comebacks to the team lately. Parthiv Patel also played in the England series while Abhinav Mukund was given a Test recall after six long years.
According to Prasad, domestic performance is still given importance. “We have a clear succession plan for every slot. In case there is any lapse, you can always fall back on seniors who are tried and tested people. And we also give due importance to domestic performances – all those seniors who have done really well like Gautam Gambhir or Dinesh Karthik,” he said. Speaking about Karthik’s performances in the West Indies, Prasad explained that the there should be an awareness of when to mix things up, when to continue with the senior boys who are doing well, when to bring in the juniors and when to go back on to the most experienced pros.
On another note, Prasad explained the reason behind picking all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the Sri Lanka, while admitting that he was tempted to pick pacer Jasprit Burah as well.
“The question was whether you required that extra seamer or not. That’s the reason we picked Hardik Pandya ahead of Bumrah, because Hardik can add value to the team both with his batting and his fielding,” revealed the 42-year-old. “So whether we really want a third seamer (in the playing XI) in Sri Lankan conditions is a point of debate, and if at all we want a third seamer, he should be an allrounder, that’s what we felt.” Prasad went on to add that Bumrah had the ability to play Test cricket and with upcoming away series, he could get a look in.
Finally, Prasad dispelled a popular notion that it was the captain who had the final say in selection meetings. “It doesn’t happen like that,” he said and went on to explain that captains do not bring baggage in selection meetings and it is the selectors who have to take the final call.
Read the full interview here.
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