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XtraTime Web Desk: One of the masterstrokes by outgoing selection committee chairman MSK Prasad was to draft Jasprit Bumrah into the Indian test squad. Bumrah, who was labeled as a shorter format bowler till that time before he was selected for the test squad to the tour of South Africa was asked to play only Ranji Trophy matches. In a recent interview to Mumbai Mirror, Prasad said, “We rested him from a limited-overs series and made him play Ranji Trophy before we picked him for the South Africa series. So there was planning that went behind Bumrah.”

Ever since he made his test debut against the Proteas in Newlands, Bumrah has never looked back. The 26 year old medium pacer made an immediate impact in Tests and had a splendid start to his career in longer format. Bumrah, currently recovering from an injury he sustained in West Indies, is the third fourth fastest Indian bowler to the 50 Test wickets mark and is by far the only paceman from Indian in the list, having reached the mark in his 11th Test. He has 62 wickets in his kitty from 12 matches.

Prasad, who along with his panel copped a lot of flak for selecting Bumrah on that tour to South Africa in 2018.

“Not many believed that he could play Test cricket. So when the selectors and the team management realised that a bowler like him can be handy when we toured abroad, we set him on a fitness and grooming regime,” Prasad said.

Prasad also spoke about the inclusion of Hardik Pandya in the Test team and said that the popular opinion about Pandya too was not favourable.

“There was certain planning that went behind Hardik Pandya’s introduction into Tests. Again not many believed that a guy who comes from T20 background could go on to play Test cricket,” Prasad was quoted as saying.