MSK Prasad lauds Rahul Dravid's current contribution to Indian cricket

10/05/2017

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Selection committee chairman MSK Prasad has hailed Rahul Dravid's contribution to the India A team by stating that he is as one of the best things to have happened to Indian cricket. Prasad was also ecstatic with India's comprehensive 4-1 win against Australia in the recently concluded ODI series.

The India A team has been exceptional over the last year or so in terms of their results. But more importantly, it is the number of players who have made the jump from the A team to the first team that has caught the eye of most fans. From Jayant Yadav to Kuldeep Yadav to Rishabh Pant, every player that has made it to the big stage have, without fail, credited Rahul Dravid's contribution in their development.

Recently, India A inflicted a whitewash on the touring New Zealand A side in the two-match, unofficial, Test series.

“To appoint Rahul as the coach is one of the best things to have happened to Indian team. When it comes to Rahul, it is not just about imparting cricketing skills. More valuable is the mental toughness he is trying to pass on to the young talent. And, he is doing a great job,” Prasad told The Hindu.

“The performance of India-A team against New Zealand-A is very creditable given the fact that there are quite a few very good internationals in the visiting side. This should do a world of good to the confidence of someone like Shreyas (Iyer), Bawne (Ankit) and the two spinners (Karn and Nadeem). These kind of matches help us ensure a very strong reserve of talent ready to take up bigger responsibilities.”

Prasad also voiced his delight with the performance of the current National team, who sit atop the Test and ODI rankings for the first time since the rankings were launched in 2002. India have won an incredible 13 out of 14 matches across all formats since their return to the subcontinent after the tour of the Caribbean. Their latest triumph came against World Champions Australia in series that saw the hosts outplay their opponents in every aspect of the game.

“I don’t think there was any one department where India failed to excel. Every player who was given a chance contributed to the success and as the chairman of the panel, I am glad to see this team perform so well,” Prasad added.

“I don’t want to engage in any sort of comparison on how this Virat Kohli-led Indian team will be rated with any other previous teams. What is important and immensely satisfying is that it is producing the results that we are all looking for.”

There has been a lot of backlash on social media on the recent team announced for the T20 series against Australia with the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina overlooked again. The duo had failed the yo-yo test recently and that appeared to be the main reason for the snub. When the question as put to Prasad, he outright refused to entertain such questions stating, “Let us leave it please.”

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