Chief selector MSK Prasad explains why Rishabh Pant has been overlooked in ODI series

India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been ignored for the three and five ODIs against Australia and New Zealand that are lined up after the Test series against Australia gets over and veteran gloveman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been included. It has not gone down well with many quarters who have even questioned the decision to continue with an out-of-form player like KL Rahul while not continuing with Pant.

Chief selector MSK Prasad, however, did not conform to the view that Pant was sacrificed to accommodate another player and said it was only a part of their selection strategies. He said Dhoni was rather rested for the six T20Is against the Windies at home and Australia Down Under to give players like Pant and Dinesh Karthik more games to play and now that they have played quite a few matches, it was time to bring the 37-year-old back into the fold. In the six T20Is that Dhoni didn’t play, Pant donned the gloves in three and scored one half-century.

‘Time to bring back Dhoni’

Speaking to the media in Melbourne on the eve of the third Test, Prasad, a former India wicket-keeper himself, said, “We categorically told that he (Dhoni) is going to be rested for those six matches so that we can give more game time to Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant. So that is the very reason.”

“And now they have played quite a few matches so we thought now we have to bring MS into the squad.” He said with just 13 ODIs to go before the ICC World Cup in May-July, India have a core team in place now and only 20 players have been zeroed in on and they will figure in the rest of India’s games from now on.

On Pant, Prasad said he will be given a break after the ongoing Test series against Australia so that he can return fresh for the World Cup. Prasad also said that Pant will be playing for India ‘A’ in five ODIs against the visiting England Lions in January before preparing for the mega event.

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