MSK Prasad left disappointed by openers after England debacle
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MSK Prasad has questioned the Indian openers' miserable failure to keep up with English conditions while criticizing the No. 3 and 5 batsmen for their lack of consistency throughout the series. He also stated that new players will be given a chance if experienced players fail to deliver.
After India lost the Test series against England by a score of 1-4, there had been several questions raised, not only on the players but also on the management staff and selectors following the inconsistency of the players throughout the series. The Indian batsmen failed to keep up with the conditions prevalent in England and therefore batting was the weakest factor throughout the series. Except for skipper Virat Kohli, no other player was able to cope with the English attacking bowlers. Even though the Indian bowlers failed to pick crucial wickets at the end of England's innings multiple times, they did a really good job with the old as well as the new ball to restrict the batsmen from mounting a huge score.
MSK Prasad, who serves as the Chairman of the selection panel of the BCCI, believes that Team India was competitive throughout the series and could've achieved the desired result had they been more consistent and solid with their game. He also stated
“It was so close, yet so far. The results don't reveal how intensely this series was fought but we all know the same results could have been in our favour too. We had our moments in the series which we should have encashed on. There are positives. I feel our fast bowling unit has done a fantastic job. Picking 60-plus wickets in five Tests was
Indian bowlers showcased a consistent game throughout the series and tried their best to restrict English batsmen from mounting huge scores. Players like Jasprit Bumrah came back from injury and proved their worth by earning two five-wicket hauls in the series. Mohammed Shami bowled at proper lines and lengths to make sure that he doesn't give batsmen enough options to open up. However, MSK Prasad feels that no matter how good the Indian bowlers were, they failed to take crucial wickets of players who tried to push the scores for their team.Â
“We also need to find solutions for picking those last few wickets. It essentially cost us the series,” he said.
Indian openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Kl Rahul not only failed to stand and occupy the crease but also gave away early wickets making it difficult for the middle order to cope up with the English attack bowling conditions, leading to a decline of the entire batting line-up. Both Dhawan and Rahul couldn't get past an average of 20 individual
MSK Prasad stated that he was gravely disappointed by the way Indian openers played throughout the series, but at the same time, he also defended that the pitch conditions were such that both the team openers couldn't perform to the best of their abilities.Â
“When we pick players for particular slots, they should be given enough opportunities before we move on and look at youngsters. Yes, our openers could have done better. Having said that, the England openers also failed miserably. The conditions were tough and the openers of both the teams failed. Over the last few years, Pujara and Rahane have done well in those No. 3 & No. 5 slots. They have enough experience behind them to be the mainstay of our middle order. They did well here too but they could have been a bit more consistent,” he quoted.
Lastly, Prasad stated that looking at the conditions of the experienced players in the team, the selectors might give young players an opportunity for the upcoming games so that they can replace the players who are failing to deliver.
“After giving enough opportunities, if the players don't deliver then in all fairness we need to look at youngsters who are doing well on the domestic cricket circuit and for India 'A',” Prasad concluded.
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