[caption id="attachment_44263" align="alignnone" width="580"]MSK-Prasad Selection Committee chairman MSK Prasad addressing the media on Monday in Mumbai. Image Source: kadakexpress.com[/caption] Internet Desk: There shouldn’t be too many complains about India’s squad for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Most of the fifteen players selected automatically pick themselves in the squad, barring the exception of one or two cricketer. The cricket fans in the country were hoping that teenage sensations Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav were included in the squad. But that was not the case as the selection committee headed by MSK Prasad relied on experience. “We considered Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik and Shardul Thakur. They are in our standby list for the Champions Trophy. We discussed Kuldeep. He narrowly missed out, but has a big role to play in future. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are youngsters we’ve been grooming. We’re extremely pleased with Rishabh and will groom him too,” said Prasad after the selection committee meeting.. It was expected that Rishabh Pant will get the nod from the selectors but the selectors were not confident enough to pick him ahead of Kedar Jadhav who has shown his mettle with the bat in recent times. Prasad did clarified that the youngsters like Pant and Yadav are very much in the radar of the selectors. “IPL is a very, very glamorous tournament. It is our premier domestic tournament and best tournament in the world. There are no two ways about it. When we consider for a 50-over tournament, we have to see other aspects as well,” said Prasad. He added, “We have to see all-round capabilities as well. Yes, we are really happy that some of the boys like (Rahul) Tripathi, Basil Thampi and the way they are shaping up (sic). It is a wonderful platform and from here we will keep them under our radar and we will groom them.” The selection committee chairman heaped loads of praises on former India captain MS Dhoni. Answering to a querry, Prasad commented, “We still believe he is still the best wicketkeeper. We are only focusing on his batting form. He is an invaluable asset to this team when it comes to crunch situations. (On) his inputs, he has got one of the best brains and he is the best person to guide Virat.” “Not many people realise that in the last 10 to 15 years that he has been playing for the country, he has never had a bad day with the wicketkeeping gloves. We (the country) always treat him more like a batsman, but the phenomenal stuff that he does behind the wickets… not many people appreciate it. When enquired whether the selectors were concerned about R Ashwin’s limited overs form where he has often struggled to finish his quota of overs, Prasad said, “It is not that Ashwin is out of form (and) because of the form of Ashwin we considered Kuldeep. It is because of the qualities of Kuldeep that we have considered him (in the past). This is the way we were actually preparing him (Ashwin) for the Champions Trophy and some of those senior cricketers.”    

Why was Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant non-included in Champions Trophy squad?