IND vs ENG: All Indian Players Have Been Dropped When Not In Form: Venkatesh Prasad Questions BCCI's Decision To Rest Out Of Form Batters

Venkatesh Prasad, a former Indian bowler, is not happy with the BCCI’s decision to rest Indian hitters who are out of form. He questions the choice, noting that major names like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh were discarded when they were out of form in the past. Why not then? Instead of removing them from the squad, he preferred to give them a rest. 

The Indian squad is presently playing in an all-format series in England. The teams will now focus on ODI matches once the one-off Test and T20I matches are done. The first game of the three-game series is slated to take place at The Oval in London on Tuesday, July 12. 

Senior Indian Batters Under-performing

Senior Indian hitters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have had difficulty scoring significant runs in the current matches against England.

While Rohit missed the Test due to COVID and played in all three T20Is, hitting 24 (14), 31 (20), and 11 from 12 balls, Kohli scored 20 and 11 in the rescheduled Test, followed by 1 from three balls and 11 from six deliveries in the remaining two T20Is. 

The pair have been out of shape for a while, and earlier this year they also had a forgettable IPL 2022 season. In the forthcoming three-match ODI series, the pair will want to accumulate some runs.

The two most senior members of the Indian side were rested from the 50-over matches despite being out of form since India would play three ODIs and a five-match T20I series in the West Indies after the ODIs against England.

The Yardsticks Seem To Have Drastically Changed Now: Venkatesh Prasad

The 52-year-old Venkatesh Prasad criticised the research tank’s decision on Twitter and claimed that the current system has altered such that players are now rested for being out of form rather than being dropped. 

Changed drastically now, where there is rest for being out of form. This is no way for progress. There is so much talent in the country and cannot play on reputation. One of India’s greatest match-winner, Anil Kumble sat out on so many ocassions, need action’s for the larger good

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) July 10, 2022

“There was a time when you were out of form, you would be dropped irrespective of reputation. Sourav, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Bhajji, all have been dropped when not in form. They have went back to domestic cricket, scored runs and staged a comeback.” 

“The yardsticks seem to have changed drastically now, where there is rest for being out of form. This is no way for progress. There is so much talent in the country and cannot play on reputation. One of India’s greatest match-winner, Anil Kumble sat out on so many occasions, need actions for the larger good.” 

The senior Indian batsmen are under increasing pressure to perform well and defend their selection due to a recent string of bad performances. Rohit will be available for the five-match T20I series against the two-time World Champions later this month, according to sources, but Kohli has requested a lengthy rest and won’t be there for the entire tour. 

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “It’s A Real Powerhouse T20 Team India Have Available” – Former England Spinner