MSK Prasad bats a diplomatic answer on picking spinners for World Cup 2019

Team India has been in a rampaging form in the recent times. Their record, particularly in the limited overs cricket, has been magnificent. A lot of credit goes to the team management and also the selectors, who have been very bold in their approach. The Chief Selector MSK Prasad has some bold moves under his belt at the helm of the selection process.

About a season ago, not many imagined an Indian limited overs side without the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. But the selectors opted to tinker with this monotony and decided to give youngsters a chance in the limited overs cricket. As Chief Selector MSK Prasad often noted, this was done to reduce the workload on Ashwin and Jadeja, who played in grueling home Test seasons.

Among the boldest move that the selectors took was fielding two wrist spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav – in the squad. At first, it seemed as if it was an experiment for a one off series. However, Chahal and Kuldeep grabbed their opportunities with both hands and are now regular faces of the Indian side. Moreover, it has been their spin web that has taken India to a historic ODI series win.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that the duo have replaced Ashwin and Jadeja for five consecutive series now. Amidst this backdrop, many wonder what would happen to Ashwin and Jadeja. Also, with the 2019 World Cup coming up, who would the selectors go forward with. It will be a big decision for them to either go with the young blood and the wrist combinations, or go with the experienced duo. When asked about the same, MSK Prasad had a very diplomatic, yet prudent, stance on the issue.

Here is what he had to say about it:

“The wrist spinners were introduced to create a wider pool of spin bowler for the Indian team. They have done extremely well till now, but ultimately who will be the spinners for the World Cup, the team management will decide when the time comes,” MSK Prasad told The Week.

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