The former chief selector of the Indian cricket team, MSK Prasad, has been optimistic about Team India’s chances in the upcoming ICC Test Championship final against Australia. In an interview with ANI, Prasad praised Virat Kohli for his strong performance in the recently concluded IPL season and expressed confidence in him delivering the goods in the all-important final of the ICC WTC.
Prasad believes that Kohli is in a good mental and physical space and his form and experience will go a long way in helping the team clinch the ICC coveted title. Since his return to the sport after a brief break during the Asia Cup in 2022, Kohli has cored 1596 runs in 38 innings at an average of 53.20. His highest knock was 186 against Australia in the recently concluded Test series. He was also the leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup in 2022 and had a stellar IPL 2023 season with 639 runs in 14 matches. Prasad is also of the opinion that the captaincy pressure had earlier impacted his performance, but he has now regained rhythm and clarity enabling him to put up strong performances for the team.
The Indian squad for the final of the ICC 2021-2022 World Test Championship consists of the experienced captain Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and young talents like Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and KS Bharat. Furthermore, the team is backed by experienced bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Shami, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav are the standby players for the all-important match.
MSK Prasad served as the head of the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 2016 till 2020. During his tenure, the team won two ICC World Cups and several series against top sides in all formats of the sport. Prasad is credited with the development of Team India’s fast bowling resources, leading to the likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma becoming mainstays in the Indian limited-overs teams. His tenure is also renowned for the introduction of young players in the Indian teams and the development of their talents to make them future stars of the Indian cricket team.
