"A legendary cricketer like MS Dhoni knows when to retire," says MSK Prasad
What's the story?
The chief selector of the Indian cricket team, MSK Prasad revealed the thought process behind the selection of the Indian squads for the upcoming West Indies tour. Prasad also shed light on the situation surrounding MS Dhoni, the future of Rishabh Pant, and the road map after the World Cup.
The background
Team India exited the 2019 World Cup in the semifinal stage after a heartbreaking loss to New Zealand. The Men in Blue are enjoying their time off at the moment but will travel to the West Indies for a tour in August. The tour comprises of 2 Tests, 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
As Virat Kohli's men could not win the World Cup, speculations were rife that the selectors may change the captain of the team. Also, Indian veteran MS Dhoni was largely expected to hang up his boots. However, the wicket-keeper batsman made himself unavailable for the Windies tour.
Besides, the fans awaited the announcement of the squads to see which new players receive an opportunity to make their mark.
The heart of the matter
The selection committee announced the squads for the upcoming tour after a meeting, which also had Virat Kohli in attendance. You can check out all the three squads here.
Chief selector MSK Prasad opened up on MS Dhoni's retirement and told PTI the following:
"We did discuss with him. Retirement is purely individual. A legendary cricketer like MS Dhoni... he knows when to retire. But as far as the future roadmap is considered, that is in the hands of the selectors."
The former Indian player stated that Rishabh Pant will be groomed for the future. He confirmed that the Delhi-born youngster will be the team's first-choice wicket-keeper in all the 3 formats and thus, his workload management will also be crucial.
He added that Wriddhiman Saha and KS Bharat will come into the picture when Pant is rested. Prasad even praised Pant's batting in testing English conditions.
What's next?
India's tour of West Indies commences from 3rd August 2019. It will be intriguing to see which youngsters grab this golden opportunity with both hands.