MSK Prasad believes finding a Test player in Jasprit Bumrah was one of his selection panel’s biggest contributions

Chief selector MSK Prasad has had a happening stint in office. His selection panel came under criticism at times over picking of players but it is also true that some of India’s top players also made it big under the current set of selectors. At times, the panel members have also been slammed for having very little experience at the highest level or accused of acting without dignity but still, Prasad believes that he and his team took some tough decisions. One of the biggest contributions that the Prasad-led panel made was picking ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah into the Test team.

Bumrah, who was initially known to be a limited-over bowler, made his Test debut in South Africa in January 2018 and impressed in the very first series. He then went on to play 12 matches — all overseas — to bag 62 wickets at an average of 19.24. The 25-year-old missed two consecutive Test series against South Africa and Bangladesh because of injury after having a successful series in the West Indies where he also took a hat-trick.

In an interview with the Mumbai Mirror, Prasad, 44, spoke about the process of drafting Bumrah in the long format. “Not many believed that he could play Test cricket. So when the selectors and the team management realised that a bowler like him can be handy when we toured abroad, we set him on a fitness and grooming regime,” Prasad said.

‘A plan went behind  Jasprit Bumrah’

Bumrah, who is yet to play a Test at home, is one of the fastest Indian bowlers to reach the 50-wicket mark in Tests. According to Prasad, Bumrah was rested from a limited-over series and made to play in Ranji Trophy before picked for the Test series in South Africa. “So there was planning that went behind Bumrah,” the former India wicket-keeper said. The skiddy pacer played a key role in India’s historic 2-1 win in a Test series in Australia by picking 21 wickets along with Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon.

Prasad also revealed the story of including Hardik Pandya in the Test team saying the popular opinion was not in his favour either as people thought he was more a player fit for the T20s.

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