5 Disappointing picks made by MSK Prasad as chief selector

Indian cricket and its problem of team selection have been a talking point for everyone associated with the sport for many years now. Every selection committee has come under fire of the fans and experts for having made decisions that were not called for, given the situation the team was in at that point in the team.

Be it inclusion of an extra batsman or a player being given preference over the other, every team of selectors in Indian cricket have been in tough spots through the years. And, the first one to take the hit is the chief selector, which since 2016, was MSK Prasad for India.

MSK Prasad’s case has been a really interesting one because his calls at times were so bizarre and unexpected that the cricket community had no option, but to ask questions to him and his team for making choices that were disappointing due to obvious reasons.

So, let us look at 5 such choices made by MSK Prasad during his tenure as India’s chief selector, which brought him and his team under the scanner:

1. Vijay Shankar over Ambati Rayudu in 2019 World Cup

One of the biggest talking points in the Indian cricketing circles, going into the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, was that, who would be the batsman at the No.4 spot in the team. After the 2017 Champions Trophy, multiple batsmen had been tried at the position, but none of them could cement their spot in the side. And, the question remained, who will bat at number 4 for India in the multi-nation tournament.

One of the front runners in the race for this spot was Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu had been one of the most successful players of the lot and had received the team captain, Virat Kohli’s backing, sometime before the tournament. But, when the team was announced, Rayudu wasn’t included in the 15 member squad.

In his place, all-rounder Vijay Shankar was given a place. This decision by the MSK Prasad led Indian selection committee shocked everyone, including Rayudu himself.

After the team was announced, it was told by Prasad that the ‘three-dimensional’ abilities of Shankar, propelled him into the squad. But, for Rayudu, it was too big of a shock to handle. Rayudu, taking a dig at the selectors, tweeted that he had ordered a pair of ‘3D’ glasses to watch the World Cup. A few days later, he announced his retirement from the sport. This incident brought Prasad under a lot of fire from all over the Indian cricket community.

2. Kedar Jadhav over Krunal Pandya in ODIs against WI and NZ

It is no hidden fact that Kedar Jadhav’s days in international cricket are running out really fast, owing to his age and it is time that India looks past him as a primary spin bowling all-round option in the One Day International set up, given that many talented players are in the waiting to get in. And, one such player, who is one of the prime contenders for the spin-bowling all-rounder spot in team India is Krunal Pandya.

Krunal, who is yet to be a part of the Indian ODI side, is the first name that would come to anyone’s mind if there is a requirement of a spin bowling all-rounder in the Indian team. And, with just three years left for the next World Cup, which Virat Kohli would want to win at any cost, it is time for the selectors to look past their current choice of Kedar Jadhav and give chances to players like Krunal Pandya.

Jadhav, who is nearing the age of 35 has lost the appeal that he had at the peak of his career. One of the main reasons for his inclusion in the team, especially in ODIs used to be his ability to churn out a couple of good overs in the middle. But, off late, the captain of the time has not thrown the ball to him, even when the team was in comfortable positions. And, his performances with the bat, haven’t been that impactful as they used to be when he was in his heydays.

On the other hand, Krunal Pandya has fared decently with both the bat and the ball for every team he has played for and definitely has age on his side when the question of playing the 2023 World Cup comes into the frame. Whenever given the chance, Krunal has the ability to take it slow, or go for the full-blown offensive, both with the bat and the ball.

The selectors, as they have time and again said that they are grooming younger players for the future, by leaving out Krunal sparked a series of debates. And, it was really disheartening to see a player like Krunal, being left out of the team by the selectors, One Day series’, in which he could have easily been a vital part of the Indian setup.

3. Hanuma Vihari picked over Karun Nair in a Test match in England

It happened during India’s tour of England in 2018. After the falling behind by 3-1 in the 5 match Test series, Kohli and his men looked to get things better, by giving the team a rejig. Everyone was expecting Karun Nair, who had the distinction becoming the second Indian to score a triple century in Tests to his name, to be named in the team for the fifth and final Test match of the series.

But, to everyone’s surprise, Hanuma Vihari, who had joined the team for the last two Tests, was given a nod, ahead of Nair, who had been there for the entire duration of the series. Nair was the one, whom everyone fielded to be included in the team, because of the fact that his triple century had come against England, and his potential would have been tested in the best way possible if he was given a place in the squad.

Even previously, Nair, after his dream series against England was dropped for the one-off Test against Bangladesh. And, he was only included in the series against Australia, where he was unable to get his form back. So, everyone wanted to see him in Indian colours, especially when the team was including one extra specialist batsman in the squad.

Karun has since not been included in the playing XI of the  Indian team, even after the fact that the selectors had said that he is very well in their scheme of things for Test matches, Everyone was baffled by this move and the selectors came under heavy scrutiny after taking this step.

4. Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant in 2019 World Cup

Another decision of the selection committee headed by MSK Prasad, which picked the squad for the ICC World Cup 2019, came under the scrutiny of the fans when Dinesh Karthik was picked in the first 15 member team, that would be travelling to England, over Rishabh Pant, who has been fielded time and again to be the successor to MS Dhoni behind the stumps. This decision also came under heavy scrutiny of the fans and experts, who questioned the grounds for not including the youngster in the squad.

Dinesh Karthik, who had not been a part of the so-called ‘preparatory series’ that team India played ahead of the World Cup, was picked, and Pant, who for a very long time has been hailed to be a perfect fit for MS Dhoni’s shoes, was excluded. This decision was not received well and the fact that Karthik hadn’t played much before the tournament, added to the misery of the selectors, who had already been fired with questions after excluding Ambati Raydu from the team.

The selectors, also failed to justify their decision, making them a subject of even more scrutiny. When questioned about the reason why Pant was left out, they told that he was ‘unfortunate’ to have missed out on a ticket to England. They also added that it was the experience of Karthik to play in tough situations that made him the first choice back up to MS Dhoni if he gets injured anytime during the tournament.

5. Sanju Samson dropped from Indian team for T20I series against WI

Indian cricket has seen many players fade away in spite of having the best of abilities, just because of the fact that they were not given enough chances when they deserved it the most, because of mysterious reasons. One such case is that of the wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala, Sanju Samson. His selection and omission from the Indian team has always been a point of discussion.

But, things got really intense, when he was left out of the Indian team for the T20I series against West Indies, in spite of having been a part of the squad for the Bangladesh T20 series, in which he was not picked for even a single match.

Samson has had a great domestic season with the bat in 2019, and his exclusion from the team, when he didn’t play even a single match to prove his worth, became a big point of discussion in the cricketing circles across the globe. And, at the epicentre of this was the selection committee being led by MSK Prasad.

This decision of the selectors was not received well by anyone who followed cricket and they came under heavy criticism from the individuals, who sought justice for the young keeper. One of the main points that was taken up in Samson’s defence was the fact that Rishabh Pant had not done well with the bat and the gloves in the recent matches, so it would have been really sensible for the selectors to have given a chance to Samson, who had been in sublime form, throughout the domestic season.