Chief selector MSK Prasad yesterday came up with an explanation as to why middle-order batsman Rishabh Pant arrived for the World Cup in England when Shikhar Dhawan injured his thumb. He also elaborated on the reason why all-rounder Vijay Shankar was replaced with Mayank Agarwal.

"As per policy, I don't take press conferences during a series or mega events like World Cup, which has led to a lot of speculation. When Shikhar Dhawan got injured, we had already a third opener in KL Rahul [right hander] and we didn't have any left-hander at the top. Since KL Rahul was going to open the innings, the team management had requested for a left-hander and we had no other choice than Rishabh Pant. We were clear on that. We know what he is capable so that's why we had to bring in a left-hander — middle-order batsman in place of an opener confused many people," Prasad said.