‘Want to Give Enough Chances to Pant Before World Cup’: MSK Prasad

India’s chief selector says 18 players have been shortlisted to make up the eventual 15-man squad for the World Cup.

Rishabh Pant looks likely to make India’s World Cup squad after having been picked over Dinesh Karthik for the ODI series against Australia.

(Photo: The Quint)

The message is loud and clear from the BCCI selection committee: Rishabh Pant will be given a sufficient chance to prove his World Cup credentials against Australia.

The 21-year-old received a shot in the arm as far as his hopes of making the cut for cricket’s showpiece event is concerned when he was picked ahead of Dinesh Karthik on Friday, 15 February, in the 15-man Indian squad for the five-match ODI series against the visiting Aussies – the team’s final assignment ahead of the World Cup.

Chief Selector MSK Prasad, however, refused to rule out Karthik from the contenders’ pool for the trip to England, indicating that the selectors want to ensure both get ample opportunity to present their case.

“We had two series in New Zealand and Australia, that’s where Karthik was chosen. [Now] We want to give him [Pant] few ODIs also before taking a final call.

MSK Prasad

Pant has played only three ODIs in his nascent India career so far – all coming in the home series against West Indies in October last year – but the 21-year-old boasts quite the reputation as a big-hitter from his exploits in T20 cricket, where he possesses a career strike rate above 160 across 64 matches.

That boosts Pant’s credentials, with India at times found wanting in terms of explosive finishing in ODI cricket in recent years, and perhaps explains where he pipped the more seasoned Karthik in the role of back-up ‘keeper-batsman.

The talk around the team suggests Pant is set to be fielded in a majority of the five matches against Australia, after which the selectors might be in a better position to make the final call.

“Prior to this, we had two series in New Zealand and Australia. That’s where Karthik was chosen, because Rishabh played four Test matches (in Australia), so we wanted him to get a good break. So he had a 20 days break, then he played couple of one-dayers against England Lions, (in) which he did extremely well. Then we sent him to those T20 matches. We want to give him few ODIs also before taking a final call,” explained Prasad.

Rishabh Pant? Dinesh Karthik? Both? The race to a World Cup berth is headed to the wire.(Photo: AP/Altered by The Quint)

‘18 Players Shortlisted for WC’

While addressing the media after announcing India’s squads for the limited overs contests against Australia, Prasad also revealed the panel of selectors have shortlisted 18 players for the final 15-man roster for the World Cup.

But the chief selector was unable to provide a clear picture on the pressing topic of workload management.

“We have shortlisted 18 players and we will rotate them before selecting the final World Cup squad. As far as workload management is concerned, it is yet to be worked out. There are discussions happening on that front and we will let you know.”

MSK Prasad

Will IPL Franchises Allow Rest?

The “discussions” Prasad referred to are those around possibly exempting India’s World Cup hopefuls from certain phases of IPL 2019, starting 23 March, so as to keep them fresh for the 45-day long World Cup from 30 May to 14 July.

Whether franchises would be willing to rest top players having paid millions to acquire their services remains a contentious topic.

Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary admitted to the franchises holding diverse views on the subject, but urged them to keep the national interest in mind.

“It [franchises being wary of resting players] is an issue we will deal with considering it’s a World Cup year,” said Choudhary.

“Considering the fact that all the franchises are Indian franchises, the interest of the country, of doing well at the highest international level, is paramount.”