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Former Team India's chief selector MSK Prasad has come out with an explanation to Ambati Rayudu's shocking revelation and said that there was no bias behind not selecting the star batter in India's squad in the ODI World Cup 2019. While clarifying his take, Prasad said that the decision was taken on the basis of collective judgement from everyone present there in the selection committee.
"All of us know that the selection committee has got five selectors and the captain sitting in the selection committee. Will any single person's decision be taken or is it a consensus or is it a entire collective decision that would be taken? If an individual can take a decision then you don't require five selectors. So any decision that is taken only happens with the consensus of the entire selection committee. So it is a collective decision. Not an individual decision. I may propose something but somebody else has to accept it. No individual decision will prevail in a committee," Prasad told Times Now.
Prasad also cleared his stance on his equation with Rayudu, who recently announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after CSK won the IPL 2023 title. Rayudu was expected to be preferred for the ODI World Cup in 2019 but selectors picked Vijay Shankar instead citing the 3D approach of the batter and ability to contribute both with bat and the ball.
"In fact, I will tell you the truth. Nothing happened in 2005. There are absolutely no differences. See, he says that he might not have liked my style of captaincy. Which is fair no. You can definitely have a difference of opinion. You know that I am strict with everything. I am strict in regiments, strict in fitness, and strict in everything. Probably he might not have liked my routine or something but that is fine," Prasad further said.
"In a team, a small difference can happen during a long cricketing season. There can be a difference of opinion between brothers also. But that cannot be the reason to carry such small differences here and there to such a big platform like Indian cricket team’s selection. Rayudu got selected for Indian Team for all the previous international games prior to the World Cup. When one doesn’t have differences for those matches then how come any difference will come for World Cup selections? I want to clear the air that the selection process is a complete collective decision but it will never be an individual opinion or decision," Prasad concluded.
It all started with Rayudu's recent interview in which he made a shocking revelation in which he spilled beans about how he was not considered from India's squad in ODI World Cup and also questioned Indian selectors behind his snub.
"MSK Prasad's comments about being a 3D player (referring to Vijay Shankar's selection) made me more impatient. In that anger, I tweeted that I would watch the game in 3D glasses. Everyone trolled Vijay Shankar. But I didn't tweet against him or MSK. I blasted satires on the manner of Team India's selection. People could not understand this and cursed Vijay Shankar. Of course, there is nothing wrong with him. Just a player waiting for an opportunity like everyone else," Rayudu told TV9 News Telugu.
"I did brilliantly at No. 4 on the tour of New Zealand before the ODI World Cup. I believed that I can excel in England where there are such conditions. But I was surprised that the selectors chose the all-rounder instead of replacing the number four when they left me out. Only MSK Prasad should tell the reason behind this decision," he questioned.
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