'It was a collective decision' - MSK Prasad defends himself after Ambati Rayudu's explosive comments on 2019 WC snub

MSK Prasad received considerable backlash during his stint as the chief selector of the Indian National Cricket Team. During his tenure, however, India reached the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the semi-finals in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Still, some of the decisions made by Prasad and his fellow selectors confused fans as well as experts. The most notable one was Ambati Rayudu's exclusion from India's 2019 World Cup squad.

Vijay Shankar was picked back then to bat at number four for India. Prasad described Shankar as a three-dimensional player after the selection on which Rayudu had taken a sly dig with a tweet that became viral in minutes. Recently after his retirement from IPL, Rayudu said in an interview that the reason behind his non-selection was the differences he had with Prasad. The 48-year-old Prasad has now replied to Rayudu's assessment. Prasad explained that it was a decision taken in unison by the entire selection committee and not just him.

“All of us know that the selection committee has got five selectors and the captain sitting in the selection committee. Will any single person’s decision be taken or is it a consensus or is it an entire collective decision that would be taken?

"If an individual can take a decision then you don’t require five selectors. So any decision that is taken only happens with the consensus of the entire selection committee. So it is a collective decision. Not an individual decision. I may propose something but somebody else has to accept it. No individual decision will prevail in a committee,” Prasad said in an interview with timesnownews.com 

In a team, a small difference can happen during a long cricketing season: MSK Prasad

Rayudu revealed that he found certain methods in MSK Prasad's captaincy questionable back in 2005 when they were playing together for Andhra. Prasad said that difference in opinion is quite normal but clarified that he held no grudge against Rayudu during his tenure as chief selector.

“In a team, a small difference can happen during a long cricketing season. There can be a difference of opinion between brothers also. But that cannot be the reason to carry such small differences here and there to such a big platform like the Indian cricket team’s selection. Rayudu got selected for Indian Team for all the previous international games prior to the World Cup.

"When one doesn’t have differences for those matches then how come any difference will come for World Cup selections? I want to clear the air that the selection process is a complete collective decision but it will never be an individual opinion or decision,” Prasad added.