Former Chairman of Team India’s selection committee, MSK Prasad, feels that Shikhar Dhawan and Krunal Pandya could have been added to the recently announced 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, due to be held in UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.
He said that he would have thought about Krunal and Dhawan, especially after their performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Delhi Capitals’ (DC) Shikhar Dhawan is IPL 2021’s leading run-getter with 422 runs, while Krunal has been a key player for Mumbai Indians (MI) over the years.
"Shikhar Dhawan maybe could have been included because he has always done well in ICC tournaments. He could have been more useful for the Indian side and similarly, Krunal Pandya is one guy whom we have groomed in the T20 format for the last 2-3 years. He's been with the Mumbai Indians and doing well,” MSK Prasad told Sports Tak.
"Selectors would have definitely put their minds into the T20 squad. But I felt as a lay man that these are the two guys who could have been fitted in," he added.
Prasad also spoke about young Rahul Chahar’s inclusion over the experienced Yuzvendra Chahal.
"Chahal is our best T20 bowler in terms of the number of wickets he has picked for Team India in the last few years. The selectors would have thought about the competition between Rahul Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal,” he said.
He added that Rahul Chahar’s role in MI’s back-to-back titles would have played an important role in his selection.
"Chahal has never disappointed Virat on the flat wickets in Bengaluru and always given you wickets. But there has been a little dip in his performance in the last one-and-a-half-years. Rahul Chahar if you see, has played an important role in winning back-to-back IPL titles for Mumbai Indians,” the former selector said.
"Probably that would have gone in Rahul Chahar's favour. The confidence levels of Chahar and Chahal is what the selectors would have seen and chosen Rahul,” he added.
Prasad said that Chahar’s selection over Chahal was debatable but Dhawan and Krunal had to be present in the squad.
"Rahul Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal is a debatable issue but I would have definitely thought about Shikhar Dhawan and Krunal Pandya's inclusion, considering the way they have done for their respective franchises in the IPL," Prasad said.
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai
