MS Dhoni. Source: File) MS Dhoni. Source: File)
Chief selector MSK Prasad said that the next 4 to 5 months will be an experimental period before the core of the team for the 2019 World Cup will emerge. He also spoke about why a high-level of fitness is expected from the players, the future of Yuvraj Singh and why Mahendra Singh Dhoni can still extend his career. Excerpts from a media interaction.
On Yuvraj’s omission
Yuvraj has been rested. Doors are never closed on anybody. Everybody has got a right to play cricket. It’s their passion. They are chasing their passion. In terms of selection, we try to select the best possible team.
On Dhoni’s future
Discussions happen about everybody. It is not just MS Dhoni (or anybody else). When we pick, when we talk about combinations, we talk about everybody. Whenever a player keeps ageing, for example, I was just reading Agassi’s book, Open, his life actually started after 30 years. Till then he won two or three titles. His actual life started after that. He lived with media pressure, ‘When are you going to retire?’
But he played till 36 and he won so many Grand Slams. So you never know. If he (Dhoni) is delivering, why not? If he is not, we will have to look at alternatives.
On vision for 2019 WC
We have identified some set of players who will be considered for the next 4-5 months and we will rotate them. After those 4-5 months we will come to a picture that these are certain players who will go on to play the 2019 World Cup.
We have initiated this process of rotating and resting our main players, so we will see how some of these youngsters do over the next few months or so, and then we will take a call by the end of the year. We have 22 to 24-25 players in mind. We will be rotating them and we will see how they progress. After a certain period of time, we will keep on shortlisting so that we can focus on them at least eight months to one year leading up to the World Cup.
On KL Rahul’s ODI spot
We are going to try out KL Rahul at No. 4 in this series (Sri Lanka). He is too good a player to sit out. Because Shikhar and Rohit are in very good form, that’s what we saw in the Champions Trophy. These are different permutations and combinations we will keep trying till the end of this year and it will boil down to one particular pattern and then we will continue with that.
On fitness of players
After the Champions Trophy, we felt that we need to be a fitter and a stronger side, we felt that we need to raise our fitness levels. We are trying to fix some fitness parameters and whoever it is has to strictly adhere to those parameters. We have two to three phases in those parameters leading up to the 2019 World Cup and if someone fails to match to those parameters, he will not be considered irrespective of whoever it is.
On ‘A’ tour performances
We picked the team to Australia and they won the triangular series there. We picked an ‘A’ team for South Africa, they won the triangular series some days ago. That gives you more satisfaction because at the end of the day those are the guys who will come to the national side. Personally, joy has no limit when we saw in a year’s time the way Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya had shaped up.”
On Dravid’s role
We pick the best possible team but it is being nurtured very well by Rahul Dravid I think India is very blessed to have Dravid at ‘A’ level. He is giving finished products to the senior team. Any player who is coming here is straightaway getting into the mould and is able to adjust. Whole credit goes to BCCI for having appointed Dravid and also Dravid for having accepted it.
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