MSK Prasad living on borrowed time

Selectors put Dhoni on notice, screamed a headline. Another one clarified that the chief selector MSK Prasad has only stated that if Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not delivering, then the selectors will have to look at alternatives.

The media started discussing the future of India's most successful captain, who now only plays in the shorter versions of the game. There were a few obituary references, too, in the wake of the remarks by chief selector while announcing the squad for the One-Dayers against Sri Lanka, starting Sunday.

Prasad, who once said after a successful series that a team picked only to be called 'captain's team' is harsh on selectors, was taken to the cleaners by the twitterati on his Dhoni remarks.

It was too harsh on gentleman Prasad, who has done wonders for Andhra cricket as CEO before becoming chief national selector. To say that as long as one delivers his place in the team is secure is a harmless answer and it holds good for even Virat Kohli if he starts failing to score in say 10 games, at least his captaincy will be discussed in view of his batting failures.

An ideal example is that of Alastair Cook, who had to quit after a series of defeats, but he still retains his place as an opening batsman. Prasad was pointedly asked if Dhoni was a natural pick, he answered: "If he is delivering, why not? If he is not, we will have to look at alternatives."

Reporters wouldn't leave at that. Was there a discussion on Dhoni? Prasad said everybody is discussed, not just Dhoni since a team is picked on the basis of combinations. Dhoni is not done yet. The follow-up question was about Rishabh Pant: was the promising wicketkeeper, known for his hard hitting, in the Dhoni mould?

Next time Prasad would be smart enough to say that he would not answer such hypothetical questions. In recent times, Sandip Patil had the opportunity to speak, but he hardly parted with any information and only made the obvious noises.

Then there were selectors who only spoke off the record. They only wanted for public consumption to say that he fought for a particular player but he was outvoted. Some selectors were under the spell of powerful state secretaries and were happy to have at least one player from their states.

There were captains who couldn't care less what their teams were and there were those who were happy to get at least one player of their choice. There was a captain who fought for a player for five years to get him into the side.

This captain's side is a recent phenomenon and started with Saurav Ganguly, though Sunil Gavaskar had his way getting a couple of Bombay players into the touring party. Dhoni is credited with smartly getting rid of the powerful seniors and he, too, got away with a questionable selection here and there.

Both Prasad and Virat Kohli are having their say now, but it is not clear who is eventually having his way. The critical question is will Prasad be around to carry on his quest for a fit, skilful team for the 2019 World Cup?

By Veturi Srivatsa