Nidahas Trophy 2018: MSK Prasad justifies the selection of Indian squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming international assignment of the Indian team. Team India is set to participate in a tri-nations series as a part of their next international series. The Chief Selector, MSK Prasad, recently justified the selection of the players in the 15-member squad for the tour.

As per the quotes on the official website of the BCCI, MSK Prasad remarked that the members of the team were selected after a lot of discussion and debate. The tri-series, which is named as the Nidahas Trophy, will take place in Sri Lanka. The third team to participate in the series is Bangladesh. With all due respect to the oppositions, the selectors certainly felt that this series could be an ideal one for the young guns to step up and take charge.

It is worth noting that the Indian team recently finished a long tour of South Africa. Also, after the Nidahas Trophy, which marks the end of international season of the Indian team, the players will play in a two-month long IPL. Considering the workload of the players, the selectors have decided to rest a few key players and give chances to the others. Rohit Sharma has been named as the Indian captain. Virat Kohli has been rested. Furthermore, Shikhar Dhawan has been named as the vice-captain of the team.

““We’ve kept in mind the workload and upcoming schedule while finalizing the team for Nidahas Trophy. The high-performance team has suggested that adequate rest should be given to our fast bowlers to help improve athletic performance, maximize rest and prevent injury,” MSK Prasad quoted.

On MS Dhoni not being named in the squad:

Also, the selectors have named two wicketkeepers in the squad – Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant. It was surprising to see no MS Dhoni in the squad. Commenting on the same, MSK Prasad clarified that Dhoni himself asked for rest and hence, was not named in the squad.

“Mr MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest,” Prasad remarked as he justified the selection of Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant in the squad.

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