Mayank Agarwal is one of Indian cricket’s biggest success stories in recent years. That story might not have progressed beyond the first chapter if M.S.K. Prasad hadn't entered the plot.
An unbeaten triple hundred for Karnataka against Maharashtra in a Ranji Trophy match at Pune, in 2017-18, turned Agarwal 's career around. The opener was on the brink of being dropped for that match, though. In this interview, former national selection committee chairman Prasad reveals — for the first time — why he wasn't.
The former India wicketkeeper from Andhra also speaks about keeping an eye on every cricketer who showed promise on the domestic circuit, enjoying the challenges of the job and dealing with the criticism that came his way during his tenure, which ended with India's recent tour of New Zealand. Excerpts:
You must be happy with the way Mayank Agarwal has become an integral part of the Test team in no time. I was told that you had requested the Karnataka team management not to drop him from the Ranji team during the 2017-18 season…
He was the Man-of-the-Series in the triangular ‘A’ series held in Chennai in 2015 [involving India, Australia and South Africa]. I had been following him since then. After coming into the selection committee, I found that he was not included for the India-A tour of Australia in 2016. After doing a bit of research, I realised that because of one poor domestic season he had been dropped.
I talked to the coaches and administrators of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and requested them to back Mayank because he had it in him to make it big. The following season he started off poorly. He failed in the first two Ranji games [including a ‘pair’ against Hyderabad]. I came to know that he was about to be dropped.
I intervened and requested the team management to give him one more opportunity. They heeded my request and played him. And he got a triple hundred; he followed it up with more big hundreds. He ended up scoring more than 1,000 runs in just five weeks. He hasn't looked back since.
How do you look back at your tenure as the chief selector of one of the world’s most followed sports teams?
Cricket is a religion in our country. We live and breathe cricket here. Being associated with Indian cricket in any form is a matter of pride. Being at the helm of affairs in the selection committee was a huge honour. I would like to thank Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke [former BCCI president and secretary] for the confidence they had in me and their unconditional support.
When you took over as chief selector, what were the things that you wanted to change and how much were you able to achieve?
When we took over, our team was going through a transition period. There was a change of guard in the Test captaincy, from M.S. Dhoni to Virat Kohli. In the following year, there was also a change of guard in the ODI captaincy. We have successfully overseen these transition phases.
We also wanted to develop good bench strength. Fortunately, with the cooperation of the team management of the senior team, headed by Ravi Shastri, Kohli and others, and the India-A team, headed by Rahul Dravid, we could design a wonderful programme. And that has really helped the young bunch and eased them into the senior team from India-A. The way Prithvi Shaw, Mayank, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Navdeep Saini and Shivam Dube began to perform right from the start of their international careers speaks volumes about the system that was put in place.
What are the things you enjoyed about being chairman?
I really enjoyed watching domestic cricket because that is where the future of Indian cricket lies. We, the members of the selection panel, have travelled for around 1,000 days during the last four years, across the length and breadth of the country. We played our part in unearthing new talent that has helped create a solid bench in all departments of the game and across all formats.
As a player, you did remarkably well to force your way into the Indian Test and ODI team despite playing for Andhra, not a traditional domestic powerhouse. How have things changed for cricketers from smaller centres?
During my day, the exposure for players coming from smaller states was relatively less compared to the bigger ones. But today, due to the robust domestic structure created by the BCCI and also due to the developments and emergence of modern communication systems, every performance across the country is recognised in no time. So there isn't much difference between teams big and small in domestic cricket.
Rajasthan, Railways, Gujarat and Vidarbha have shown the country that success in cricket is not limited to any particular state or city these days. When it comes to the national side, the representation is from across the country, and not limited to particular regions, which used to be the case earlier.
How tough is life as a wicketkeeper? Often keepers don’t get the credit they deserve…
Wicketkeeping is a thankless job and one of the toughest disciplines in the game of cricket. Unless one enjoys this art, one cannot become a good wicketkeeper.
Talking of keeping, how do you view Rishabh Pant and the criticism that has come his way?
All of us know that Rishabh has abundant talent. He is a match-winner, and that is a rare quality. Having identified that immense potential in him, we decided to back him. I have no two views about his batting abilities. The only thing is that he needs to work on his wicketkeeping skills, which now he really is concentrating on. With time he will keep getting better. We need to have patience with him.
Which selections are you particularly happy about, besides that of Mayank?
Prithvi, Vihari, Rishabh, Shreyas and Navdeep.
How do you look back at episodes of non-selections of some established players (like Ambati Rayudu for the World Cup in England last year)?
It’s really hard to put into words certain non-selections at times, especially when it comes to a country like India that has so much of talent. You can only pick 15 members in a squad. We go by the best combinations in the best interest of the country with a belief that we can get the best possible results.
How did you feel when some former cricketers questioned your credentials?
When criticism is constructive, it can be well received. But if it is done with ulterior motives, it can be ignored. For instance, if someone asks why a particular player is not selected, then they should also specify in whose place the player they are proposing has to be accommodated. Only then will there be substance to their arguments.
How helpful has the IPL been for selecting the senior Indian team?
The IPL is a wonderful platform that throws up fresh talents every year. Since it has the best players from across the globe, the performances are duly recognised. Having said that, we consider a player's performance at the IPL for selection only to the T20 squad.
