Fact Check: Did Gautam Gambhir And MSK Prasad Had A Verbal Spat In 2019?

Days after the departure of Andy Flower, Lucknow Super Giants have got MSK Prasad on board as the Strategic Consultant, the IPL team announced on Thursday. Prasad is a former BCCI Chairman of the Selection Committee and a former India cricketer as well. This decision has sparked a rumour about Gautam Gambhir's departure from the support staff, who is the mentor of LSG at the moment.

As per a report in Dainik Jagran, Gambhir is likely to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the team with which he won the 2014 title.

The possible transfer of Gambhir is being linked with his relationship with MSK Prasad. In 2019, Team India picked Vijay Shankar in the squad and the decision was questioned by Gambhir labelling it as a 'shocking' one for the event in England.

"Whether it was Vijay Shankar or whoever got picked in the 2019 World Cup, some of the decisions were absolutely shocking. Not picking Ambati Rayudu in the squad. They couldn’t find a No 4 batsman. They had to identify one position and they couldn’t do it," said Gambhir on the decision of going with Shankar instead of Rayudu.

"Look what happened to Rayudu – you made him bat at No 4 for two years and just before the World Cup you decided to go with a ‘3D player’. Is that a statement we should get from the chairman of selectors?"

"Let me clarify. Everyone in the top order was a pure batsman, none of them could bowl. Be it Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, or Virat Kohli. We thought that someone like Vijay Shankar, who bats at the top of the order, could be a helpful swing bowler in English conditions," MSK Prasad replied.

Coming to KKR, the hero from IPL 2023 season who managed to outshine the likes of Andre Russell this year, Rinku Singh has earned a call-up from the Indian cricket team.

"In India, the issue is that we take the 2 months of IPL so seriously that whoever does well we add him to the Indian team. Jaiswal has scored a double hundred in domestic cricket both in First Class and One-Day matches," Gambhir said on News18 on Rinku's selection.

Rinku Singh, the left-handed hitter scored 474 runs with an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.53, including four half-centuries, was one of the best discoveries in the most recent IPL.

"Rinku Singh’s story is inspiring and he has performed well as well. But do not select anyone after one season,” he further stated.

"Let Rinku score runs in the domestic season and then return to IPL and score runs again and if he is consistent then you can think of adding him to the Indian team," he concluded.