Going forward, Shubman Gill will definitely be one of our key players, insists MSK Prasad

After making his ODI debut in New Zealand, Gill has been drafted into the Indian Test side for the South Africa series. However, he failed to make it to the playing XI, with Mayank Agarwal, quite justifiably, opened alongside Rohit Sharma. While the calls for Gill's inclusion is at a fever pitch, Prasad justified the conclusion by saying, the Punjab batsman is one for the future.

"He's an exceptionally talented cricketer but you can only pick 15 right and it's only a three-match series. Going forward he will definitely be one of our key players in all formats," MSK Prasad told in the team announcement press conference, reported Cricbuzz.

The exclusion of Shahbaz Nadeem from the Bangladesh Test series came as a surprise, especially for the fact that he had a solid showing in Ranchi on his Test debut. That he was a late cover for Kuldeep Yadav made things tricky for the selectors as the Uttar Pradesh spinner was named in the side for the Bangladesh series. Prasad added that despite Nadeem's performance, it is only fair.

"The selection committee and Virat (Kohli), we were all convinced with Nadeem and with his performances in domestic cricket. We had drafted him into the squad when Kuldeep Yadav had an injury on his shoulder. With the opportunities that we have given to Nadeem, he has really excelled. The fact remains that we have to go back to Kuldeep as he is our premier bowler in the squad," Prasad added.