Transition from Dhoni to Kohli was smooth: MSK Prasad
Former Indian selector MSK Prasad revealed that the transition of captaincy from MS Dhoni to Virat Kohli was the highlight of his tenure. Prasad, who was recently replaced by former India spinner Sunil Joshi, opened up about his five-year-old stint. He also put the spotlight on a few inspiring selections in the past which contributed in India's success across formats. Here is more.
We wanted the transition to happen smoothly: MSK Prasad
"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 formats. That's the biggest satisfaction I got," Prasad said.
Dhoni announced retirement from Test cricket in 2014
MS Dhoni announced retirement from the longest format after the Boxing Day Test against Australia in 2014-15. Virat Kohli was appointed India's captain in the Sydney Test. The former also passed the baton in limited overs to Kohli when he decided to step down from captaincy in 2017. "We can take pride after seeing the transition period from MSD to Virat," Prasad stated.
Dhoni hasn't played international cricket since July 2019
Following India's World Cup exit, Dhoni began his two-week stint with the Indian Army in Kashmir. He made himself unavailable for West Indies tour and T20Is against Bangladesh. With the "moving on" remark of MSK Prasad, Dhoni's retirement speculations started doing rounds. He was also removed from the list of centrally contracted players. Besides, Dhoni has commenced his training for the upcoming IPL edition.
No confusion about Dhoni's future, says Prasad
Dhoni hasn't been in contention since India's semi-final defeat in World Cup 2019. However, Prasad feels there is no confusion about Dhoni's future. "I don't really see any ambiguity. MS is clear about his future which he expressed to team management," MSK said. He added, "I cannot disclose details as it is confidential. It's best that whatever discussed and shared between us remains there."
Bumrah and Pandya have bolstered the Indian squad
Prasad believes quite a few selections have paved the way for India of late. "There are plenty of great selections we can talk of like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya coming into the Test team," Prasad said. "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," he added.
