CHENNAI: As selector first and then as chairman of the panel, MSK Prasad has overseen a transition phase in Indian cricket. Taking charge when the team was brimming with confidence, he has seen India grow from strength to strength in the last three years. In the final leg of his tenure (pending BCCI AGM), Prasad spoke to The New Indian Express on topics that has highlighted his tenure. Excerpts from the interview.
You became chairman of the selection committee in 2016. How has been this journey?
I think the last three years has been a fruitful time for us and the team. Myself and my colleagues can take lot of pride in the achievements of the team in all three formats. Apart from that, what gives us more satisfaction is the way our India A teams have evolved over the last three years. They won 12 series consecutively. This has helped in developing bench strength in all departments of the game.
From day one, there have been voices against the inexperience of the committee. Is India still in an age where match appearance is mistaken for substance?
In an ecosystem every job has its own needs and demands. One cannot always say that a person successful in one department can be successful in other departments. History proves that. Though Ramakant Achrekar never played first-class cricket, he has produced a bunch of Test cricketers who have won games for India and brought laurels to the country. One of them went on to reach the ultimate status of God of Indian cricket — Sachin Tendulkar. So can anyone question the credentials of Ramakant as a player when his strength lies in coaching? How many successful cricketers who took to coaching have gone on to produce successful cricketers? Every job has its own demands. We need to respect that.
You took over as chairman in 2016. The team has since become No 1 in all three formats...
The credit should go to the players and team management along with my colleagues. Of course the selection committee has done its part, but I feel we as selectors are only facilitators. Our duty is to identify talent and groom them through a systematic process before inducting them into the senior national team. Later, it’s up to the player to take his game to the next level and do well for the country.
The team played exceptional cricket in bilateral ODI events. But was not able to win ICC trophies. Does that hurt?
We have been doing extremely well in bilateral series and I do agree that despite playing outstanding cricket, we couldn’t win those major tournaments. It was so close yet so far. Nevertheless, we always remained among the top teams in all formats and were consistent. We never let ourselves down.
Since World Cup you have moved on to test different players. Who are you most excited about?
Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shubman Gill, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, the Chahar brothers (Deepak and Rahul), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube are doing well in the A circuit. Let’s see how they take their game to the next level.
Picking the best when India is blessed with so much of talent is never easy. Is it the reason that at different times, especially for overseas tours, the squad comprises of 17 or 18 players?
I don’t think that way. While playing abroad, we need bigger squads because we are not sure of the kind of surfaces (squads are named almost a month in advance). On long tours, we need to have all bases covered. That is why the squads seem like extended ones.
At 21, Rishabh Pant is already playing three formats. Does he have it in him to play all these, considering that he is still informative years?
He has it in him to play in all formats of the game and he made an excellent entry into Test cricket. Early impressions are that he only needs to understand the demands of the slot. He should play his own game, but at the same time he needs to remember the team’s requirements and mould his game accordingly. That is what Mahendra Singh Dhoni did for the team during the last decade and-a-half. I’m sure Rishabh will get better as time progresses and emulate Dhoni.
Isn’t his workload a concern going forward?
We are concerned about the workload of Rishabh as he is expected to play the dual role in all formats. Since we have a vibrant India A cricket running parallel to the senior team programme, we are grooming wicketkeepers as back-ups for all formats. (India A roles currently rotate between Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, K Srikar Bharat and Wriddhiman Saha)
India has a strong bench strength unlike never before. How do you see the second rung of bowlers in the pace and spin departments?
We have a good bunch of 8-10 fast bowlers who can get into the senior team any time in case there is a need and also six quality spinners waiting for opportunities. So we have our bases covered on that front.
Are you encouraged by the talents coming out of the domestic system?
Definitely. India has abundant talent which oozes from our domestic cricket. We have a record number of matches every year in senior and junior levels. Consider those numbers and the amount of players who feature in them. The sheer volume we have is unparalleled. Given all these, I’m sure we will never head to a period of recession for the dearth of talented cricketers. We only need to identify the right talent and groom them.
There is lot of talk on Dhoni. If at all he decides to hang up his boots, India are going to miss a great finisher. How are we placed on that front, someone to play the finisher’s role?
Dhoni is a legendary cricketer who has set world-class standards with bat and gloves. It’s not easy to step into his shoes. Probably there is no other cricketer in the history who would have bettered him in finishing with such perfection. The next generation of wicketkeeper-batsman should take a leaf out of his book and work towards that direction.
Has the time come for India to look for a different team for T20s? Despite having IPL, we don’t have specialist T20 players. Is it a good sign or a cause of concern?
We have a fantastic T20 team today with a blend of experience and youth. We have a balanced side with Shikhar, Rohit, Virat, KL, Manish, Shreyas, Rishab as batsmen. We have four all-rounders in Hardik, Krunal, Jadeja and Washington Sundar playing in the XI apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar at 9 & 10. In fast bowling, we have Bhumrah, Bhuvi, Khaleel, Deepak Chahar and Saini. We also have quality spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington, Rahul Chahar, Jadeja. We have a wonderful bunch of talent for the T20 format.
Some players have been lost because of constant chopping and changing. Does it create a feeling of uncertainty among them which can lead to them losing confidence?
While heading towards the World Cup, we did try a few youngsters. Unfortunately, we couldn’t give them ample opportunities. Now that we are building teams, we will give them sufficient opportunities.
Apart from Hardik Pandya, there is only Vijay Shankar who can be classified as seam-bowling all-rounder. Shivam Dube is coming through and is now included in India A. Why aren’t we finding this breed in domestic cricket?
The search is on. It’s a rare breed and there have only been a few who have successfully done justice to both roles. Because a fast-bowling all-rounder is expected to bowl fast, take five-wicket hauls and at the same time be equally good with the bat and get centuries. This is a tough ask. There are a certain group of muscles that get exerted for batting and another group that get exerted while bowling. It takes a toll on your body if you are a fast-bowling all-rounder. That is why I say it’s a rare breed and that is why a legend like Kapil Dev is held in such high esteem in the history of Indian cricket.