Abhinav Mukund thanks MSK Prasad for heads-up

Left-hander Mukund, who played the last of his five Tests in 2011, was picked in the squad for the one-off Test against Bangladesh starting in Hyderabad on Feb 9 on the back of some solid domestic performance.

"MSK had a conversation with me during the Ranji Trophy. He told me that I was on their radar. That is about as much as any selector will tell you. I will have to give credit to him because I don't think any national selector has spoken to me before. This selection committee has actually told me that they are keeping a close watch on my performances. I have been working hard and continuing to do the best I can," 27-year-old Mukund told Times of India.

Previously Parthiv Patel had spoken of Prasad giving him heads-up ahead of selection for the England Test series.

"It's always good to open with (Murali) Vijay. He has a calm head on his shoulders and we usually manage to do well when batting together,” Mukund said on the prospect of opening with his statemate.

Mukund is currently playing for his state in the South Zone T20 league. About switching formats, he said: "That's what is demanded from professional cricketers nowadays. There are no excuses for not being prepared."