India would need a bigger squad when they travel to Australia: MSK Prasad
India's former Chief selector MSK Prasad feels that it could be a good idea for the team to have a jumbo squad of at least 26 players when Indian cricket team travels to Australia later this year. With the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic looming over them, it would enable the team management to replace a quality player if at all anyone goes down with the disease.
The former wicketkeeper also stated that it would not be safe to trust the local net bowlers since they may not be part of the biosecure environment. A bigger squad can ensure the availability of enough quality players within a biosecure environment.
"In case someone tests COVID positive, then the players from this contingent can be picked as they would have served the mandatory quarantine period. We cannot trust the net bowlers about their exposure to COVID, it would be ideal to go with a large contingent as we can be assured of all the players’ safety as they will be in a bio-secure environment," MSK Prasad added.
However, since there have been no domestic matches that have been going on for quite some time in India, the selection committee will have a tough time in deciding the squad for the tour. They would be hoping that the IPL, which is scheduled to start in September, will give them a sufficient base at least for the limited-overs format.
West Indies team currently touring England has 26 members in its squad, whereas Pakistan has 29 members including white ball specialists.
India will have opportunity to test out youngsters: MSK Prasad
MSK Prasad feels that touring with a bigger squad will help the team management test our youngsters. They will have enough opportunity to share the dressing room and practice with the senior players of the team.
This way, they will get a notion about the game at the highest level. Clubbing the India A team's tour along with the India senior team would be a way to get this done, suggested MSK Prasad.
"Even for our main bowlers, they will have fresh batsmen to bowl at unlike the same bunch of first-team boys. For instance, Shreyas Iyer is very aggressive and at times can be unorthodox. So, he might offer a variety of skills which the Australian batsmen might posses. Left-armer Khaleel Ahmed’s presence will help in preparing for Mitchell Starc’s angled deliveries," MSK Prasad added.
India's tour of Australia will kick off with a T20 match at the Gabba on 11th October, and will continue till the third week of January. The players will have to remain in quarantine for at least 14 days as mandated by the Australian authorities.