Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir does not want the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to select players for the Indian team based solely on Indian Premier League (IPL) performances. He believes that ODIs and Test teams should not be chosen based on tournament performances.
Gautam Gambhir has been in the shortlist for the head coach of Team India. Rahul Dravid’s tenure will end after the T20 World Cup 2024. There have been reports that BCCI has approached the Kolkata Knight Riders mentor for the job.
Gautam Gambhir previously served as a mentor for Lucknow Super Giants for two years and currently holds the same role for Kolkata Knight Riders. The former Indian captain has been an excellent mentor for both the franchises.
Gautam Gambhir’s mentoring style has been exceptional. The amount of freedom it gives players is something that many have liked. There have been several calls regarding him taking over as many feel he could change the fortunes of the Indian team.
Amid talks of him taking over as Team India coach, Gautam Gambhir had a valid point. He stated that the IPL should not be a criterion for the selection of the Indian team.
He believes Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji performances should be considered for ODIs and Test selection. Talking to Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel. He explained:
“I hope this is not the shortcut to playing for India. The only way to play for India is to do well in first-class cricket and 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 side from 50 versions by watching T20 or IPL.
“If domestic players keep talking about how they can get selected in the IPL, to play somewhere the focus starts shifting from first-class cricket to the IPL. That’s why I say the quality of the IPL has improved over time.”
I think you are taking too many shortcuts so that many of these young players do not concentrate on red ball cricket – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further stated that the T20I team should only be selected based on the IPL. He believes that if that happens with Tests and ODIs, it will drive players away from red-ball cricket. He added:
“T20 WorldCup, India’s T20 team should be selected from IPL. A Vijay Hazare 50-over format should be selected and his Test side should be selected from red-ball cricket. As simple as that.”
“Otherwise, if you start picking people in the 50 over format or red-ball cricket of an IPL competition, I think you are taking a lot of shortcuts so that a lot of these young players don’t focus on red-ball cricket.” or in the 50 over format. Then you are literally walking on the edge.” He concluded.
Under Gautam Gambhir, KKR made it to the playoffs of the tournament. The next time they will be seen in action will be when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday (May 20).
