MSK Prasad: Be a bad boy to win

Ex-chief selector Prasad defends India captain Kohli’s aggression en route Monday’s win over England at Lord’s

India's Lord’s Test win on Monday was an emotional roller-coaster where tempers flew thick and fast. It reached boiling point on the fifth and final day when the bantering and sledging grabbed equal attention as much as some heroic performances during India’s stunning 151-run win to take 1-0 lead in the five-Test series against England.

Jasprit Bumrah not only took blows on his body during his career-best unbeaten knock of 34 with Mohammed Shami (56 not out) en route the match-defining 89-run stand in the second innings, but also faced lip service from the Englishmen.     

Skipper Virat Kohli wasted no time in sledging as soon as Ollie Robinson took guard in the second outing while trying to save England. The heat was on from the first day itself when Kohli had an altercation with Anderson.

MSK Prasad. Pic/PTI

In the post-match presentation, Kohli said that the on-field tension fired up his bowlers as Bumrah & Co bowled England out for 120, chasing 272 well within the stipulated 60 overs (in 51.5 overs).  
     
India were at their expressive best, but did they go overboard a bit at times? Not at all, felt the previous chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, who had a major role in developing this Indian team’s bench strength.

A point to prove

“There was a point to prove for Virat and there was the additional incentive of winning a Test at Lord’s. It’s all at the back up of his mind. There is nothing wrong with being aggressive. One should always see the efforts. If someone is putting in 200 per cent, why should we curb that [aggression]? We should feel proud if someone is playing on foreign soil and dictating terms. He [Kohli] is a new generation guy.

“You can’t be a good boy and lose matches. Rather be a bad boy and win games. He’s [Kohli] a very rare breed and every Indian should feel proud of this. They [Indian team] don’t do anything against the rules. He [Kohli] knows his limitations,” Prasad told mid-day on Tuesday.   
       
According to Prasad, the 1-4 defeat of the 2018 tour to England was a great learning curve. “The most important thing is the experiences that you gained out of that series are helping this time around. Those experiences have helped us win back-to-back Test series in Australia (2018-19 and 2020-21). 

“We have realised the importance of the right combination, a good opening start and contribution from the lower middle-order. Because our bowling has always been on the forefront and have always put us in a wonderful plot every time. But it was our batting that was letting us down in the most important games more often than not,” said Prasad.

The real heroes

Prasad hailed the Shami-Bumrah show with the bat but also acknowledged the contributions from KL Rahul (129) and Rohit Sharma (83) in the first innings, as well 
as Siraj’s eight-wicket haul. 

When asked whether he reckoned Shami and Bumrah were the real heroes with the bat, he said: “Of course, because that [partnership] really helped us put up a big total. That particular partnership gave us the confidence that from hereon, we have the opportunity to win the game. Otherwise, had it [the target] been 170 or 180, it would have been a 50-50 game.”

Also Read: IND vs ENG: Five talking points from Lord's Test

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