‘I Talked To Rishabh Pant And Explained The Roadmap To Him’

MSK Prasad, the newly appointed chairman of the BCCI selection committee, has revealed the committee is in constant touch with each and every player and with those performing well in the domestic scene like Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda.

The committee has already surprised everyone by taking few surprising decisions like calling Gautam Gambhir back to the squad, including Parthiv Patel for Mohali Test and giving a chance to Hardik Pandya in Test cricket.

“What I heard from some of the cricketers, some even with legendary status, who aren’t part of the Indian team presently, is that they don’t know where they stand. Whether they are still being considered or not. So firstly we made it very clear that until the day they retire, never say never. For a youngster, you can always say you are just on the threshold of getting into the team. But it is a very sensitive issue to deal with the seniors,” Prasad said.

“We decided to communicate as a committee, and talk to players of the level of Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh or a Shikhar Dhawan. To tell them the reasons why they have been dropped, which they might be unaware of. Of course, performance is the foremost parameter. So if they have failed, they’ll know anyway. But if there are other reasons, say lack of fitness or slowing down on the field or their fielding doesn’t match up to the current standards, we tell them, instead of keeping them in the dark or keep them guessing,” he added.

Speaking about Rishabh Pant’s chances making it to the Indian team, Prasad said he had a talk with Pant and showed him the roadmap for the future.

“I had a long discussion with Rishabh Pant and I explained the roadmap to him, and I have shown him the picture that lies ahead of him, where he is, where he should be heading, how he can get there. It’s the same with any youngster like Priyank Panchal or a Deepak Hooda, the selectors need to draw the roadmap for them,” he concluded.