Gautam Gambhir warned against using IPL performances as a shortcut to selection for India’s Test and ODI teams, emphasizing the importance of excelling in first-class and Vijay Hazare (50-over) cricket.

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, currently mentoring Kolkata Knight Riders, shared his views on team selection with Ravichandran Ashwin. He stressed that IPL performances should not solely determine national team selections.

Gambhir emphasized prioritizing first-class and Vijay Hazare performances for 50-over selections, reserving IPL choices for T20 squads. He cautioned against shortcutting talent selection by overlooking traditional formats, suggesting a balanced approach where red-ball cricket determines Test lineups, Vijay Hazare guides ODIs, and IPL showcases T20 talents, advocating for a well-rounded player selection strategy.

“I hope this is not the shortcut to play for India. The only way to play for India is to do well in first-class cricket, then do well in 50-over cricket (Vijay Hazare). You can only select your T20 side from an IPL competition. You should never select your 50-ver side looking at T20 or IPL,” Gamhbir said on Ashwin’s YouTube chat show ‘Kutti Stories with Ash’.

“T20 WorldCup, T20 side for India should be selected from IPL. A 50-over format should be selected from Vijay Hazare and your Test side should be selected from red-ball cricket. As simple as that. Otherwise, if you start selecting people in 50 over format or red ball cricket from an IPL competition, I think you are making a lot of shortcuts for a lot of these young players to not focus on red ball cricket or 50 over format. Then you are literally walking on the edge,” he added.

Furthermore, Gambhir shared on the show that he found IPL tougher than international T20 cricket in later career stages. The former cricketer attributed this shift to India’s T20 dominance, noting that initially in IPL, facing domestic bowlers made scoring easier.

READ ALSO | Gautam Gambhir on IPL’s Evolution: “Franchise Cricket Tougher Than International Formats”

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Last Updated on May 20, 2024

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