BCCI official questions MSK Prasad's explanation on Ambati Rayudu fiasco

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BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad announced India' squad for the West Indies tour which consists of 3 T20Is, 3 ODI's and 2 Test match. Virat Kohli, who was expected to take the rest after hectic ICC World Cup will lead the Indian team in all three formats while Hardik Pandya got some time off.

During the press conference, MSK Prasad also talked about the exclusion of Ambati Rayudu's from WC squad, his retirement and the much-talked-about '3D tweet'.

Prasad defended his decision of not picking up Rayudu after Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar's injury during World Cup.

"There were certain programmes to see Rayudu comes into the setup. We (selection committee) don't have anything against a particular player.

"When Rayadu was picked for the ODIs on the basis of his T20 performance, there was criticism, but we had some thoughts about him. When he failed the fitness test, we put him on a fitness programme. Due to certain combinations, he wasn't picked, it doesn't make the selection committee biased."

But a senior BCCI official took note of Prasad's comment and questioned the criteria of fitness test being the yardstick for national selection.

"Who decided on the fitness criteria and has there been an official communication on the same? If there was no criteria officially communicated or discussed or approved by the board, how could one fail it? Seems that the selector didn't really check all the dimensions before making this statement," the official said.

Prasad, at that time, had justified Shankar's selection over Rayadu, saying that the 33-year-old provided the team with a "three-dimensional" game.

"We did give a few more chances to Rayudu but Vijay Shankar gives three dimensions. He can bat if the conditions are overcast, he can bowl, plus he is a good fielder. We are looking at Shankar as the No. 4," Prasad had said.

After the snub, Rayudu had tweeted sarcastically: "Just ordered a new set of 3D glasses to watch the World Cup".

Now, while announcing India's squad for the West Indies tour, the chief selector once again tried to clear the stance of his team, but it doesn't seem to have cut much ice with the board officials.

(With IANS Inputs)