Former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad Picture Credit: Twitter
The job of the selection committee in Indian cricket is arguably a thankless job. While selectors are often criticised for leaving out players, they hardly get praise from the outside cricketing fraternity for getting the team selection right. The selectors are rarely given credit for the good performance of the team abroad and in big tournaments. But the selection committee has to face severe criticism many times due to their selection and exclusion of players in the team. Former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad has now hit out at the critics saying that none of the members of the selection panel got any credit for Team India’s stupendous performance in the historic Test series win over Australia earlier this year.
Prasad was the head of the BCCI selection committee from 2016 to 2020. He had some tough selection calls to make for big tournaments like ICC Champions Trophy 2017, the 2019 ICC World Cup as well as the India’s tour of Australia in 2018-19. It wasn't just selection calls of the Prasad-led committee that had to face controversies during its tenure but also certain other acts.
Not even once that credit was given to selectors: MSK Prasad
To make his point clear, Prasad highlighted an incident involving Anushka Sharma wherein the selectors were highly criticised. During the 2019 ICC World Cup, Prasad's team was branded "Mickey Mouse selection committee" by former India cricketer Farokh Engineer for serving coffee to Anushka Sharma.
"When one of our selectors offers a cup of coffee to the Indian team's captain's wife, it becomes a big controversy, but when the Indian team with seven Indian superstars missing wins a Test series against Australia in Australia, not even once that credit was given to selectors," said Prasad.
India had won the four-match Test series 2-1 in January 2021 to retain the Border Gavaskar series. Team India created history during their famous win at the Gabba as they became the first team to win back-to-back Test series on Australian soil and also ended Australia’s record of being unbeaten at the venue since 1988. A number of senior players were ruled out during the course of the series due to an injury.