‘Can take pride in that’: MSK Prasad reveals why Virat Kohli was chosen as MS Dhoni’s successor

MSK Prasad whose term as the chief selector of the Indian cricket team ended a couple of days ago after BCCI’s CAC named former India spinner Sunil Joshi as his replacement, reflected back on his 5-year-long tenure with satisfaction. Often in the middle of criticism for being soft, Prasad had no qualms in pointing out the achievements of his selection committee.

The former India chairman of selectors, Prasad, mentioned India’s success in all three formats, their efforts in creating back-ups for every possible position and a few inspiring selections like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in Test matches. But the former India wicket-keeper batsman had a definite answer when asked about the biggest achievement of his selection committee.

Prasad said the highlight of his tenure was the smooth transition from MS Dhoni era to the Virat Kohli one. “I personally feel that my colleagues and me can take pride in the fact that we have successfully seen the transition period from MSD to Virat very well, Prasad told Midday.

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Prasad, who took over as the chief selector of India after Roger Binny’s term ended prematurely in 2015 due to conflict of interest, also revealed what prompted the appointment of Virat Kohli as MS Dhoni’s successor.

“Once Mahi completed his [captaincy] stint, we had to look at somebody who could step into those shoes. We wanted to see that happening smoothly. Once Virat took over, we reached the No. 1 ranking across all three formats. That’s the biggest satisfaction I got,” added Prasad.

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MS Dhoni had decided to retire from Test cricket midway through the Australia tour in late 2014 paving way for Virat Kohli to take over as India’s Test captain. Kohli was later on appointed India’s captain in all three formats after Dhoni decided to step down as limited overs captain in 2017.

Prasad’s selection committee - Sarandeep Singh, Jatin Paranjpe, Gagan Khoda (replaced by Harvinder Singh in new term), and Devang Gandhi - attracted some criticism for their handling of MS Dhoni’s future in the Indian side post the 2019 ODI World Cup. But Prasad said there is no doubt in anyone’s mind about the former India captain’s future.

“I don’t really see any ambiguity. MS is clear about his future which he expressed to me and the team management. I cannot disclose details as it is confidential. It’s best that whatever discussed and shared between us [selection committee and the team management] remains there. It’s an unwritten code,” said Prasad.

“There are plenty of great selections that we can talk of like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya coming into the Test team. From nowhere, we brought in Rishabh Pant. He was nowhere in contention. We groomed him through India ‘A’ tours. Nobody expected he’ll do so well,” added Prasad when asked about the selections he is proud of.