The series win is fantastic because of the quality of performance and opposition: MSK Prasad

Like most teams in international cricket the Indian team is also in the transition phase. The experienced players, the established names are no longer around and what they have at disposal is a young bunch of players who are eager to perform and make a name for themselves at the highest level. This is a type of scenario where the job of the selection committee becomes even more important. MSK Prasad who leads the selectors has had an impressive start to his career.

They have encouraged the youngsters by giving them the occasional opportunity to be with the Indian squad and at the same time reaffirmed the senior players who haven’t played for a while that the doors aren’t shut for them either. Prasad was happy with the way the team has gone about business in the series against England and is optimistic for the future as well.

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror reacting to the team’s win in the ongoing series, he said its “Fantastic — because of the quality of our performance and the quality of the opposition. Every Test has gone to the fifth day. England are one of the best Test-playing countries and it is one of the best teams to have toured not just India but the sub-continent.”

Prasad also added that though the Test team has two star performers in skipper Virat Kohli and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, there are others who have done well around them. “It is no secret that we revolve around Virat Kohli and R Ashwin but it nevertheless was a spirited team effort. There were fantastic contributions from Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja. Jayant Yadav also has shown a lot of maturity.” He said.

While things look bright at this point with the team winning there are also a few areas where they need to improve. “Yes. We need the openers to be consistent in tandem. Pujara and Virat were superb but the middle order contribution can be more. The best thing is that the lower order is doing well.”

Virat has been a stand out cricketer not just for the team but in international cricket on the whole. He has been leading the team from the front and has been scoring the big runs for the team. Talking about the skipper, the chief selector said, “You don’t need me to tell you that he has been leading from the front. The captain gets more respect when he leads by example. He has emerged as a terrific leader and the team spirit is there for everyone to see. He has crossed many milestones but he is not bothered about them. His goals are much higher than individual milestones. He raises the bar for the team – whether it is in batting, fielding or fitness – and when the captain shows the way, the players follow suit.

One player who has made the best out of this series has to be Jayant Yadav, he made his debut in the second Test and has grown from strength to strength since then. His contributions with the bat has also been a huge plus for the team. “This question was asked when we picked him initially (for the New Zealand series) and especially for the Vizag Test. I and Gagan Khoda were there in Australia for the A series and we saw him do well in every game. We never expected the scores he made in Australia. We never thought that he will convert a start into a hundred at such an early stage in his career. We saw the glimpses of his ability in Australia where he had performed under pressure.” Prasad said.

The team has some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, with Anil Kumble the coach, MS Dhoni the limited-overs skipper and of course Virat Kohli. But the selectors are not in awe of them as individuals and understanding their own responsibilities coordinate with them to select the best team.

“As far as the selection committee is concerned, Anil Kumble is the coach of the Indian team. We don’t look at him as a guy who has taken 900 international wickets. We look at someone who sincerely wants India to do well as the coach. The same is about Dhoni and Virat. Their numbers don’t come in the way when we talk with them on the selections. They are the captains, coach and we are the selectors. Our duty is to the pick the best possible candidate who can give best possible results by looking at domestic cricket. We take their suggestions but we make the selection calls. They may tell us about the need for a batsman, spinner, all-rounder, opener or a pacer. We decide on who that player should be.” He said.

The selectors have now built a channel, a player is identified at the Ranji Trophy level, tested at the Duleep Trophy then given an opportunity at a much bigger stage with the India A and their performance on these three platforms is considered while taking a call for national selection. “We believe in grooming the players through the system and ranks – Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and India A. If the players come through this system, they can adapt to the international competitions, Jayant Yadav for example. When we pick youngsters, we tell them the areas for improvement. The demand for fitness and fielding standards are very high.” Prasad said.