'People in India consider IPL bigger than first class cricket'
'In the T20 format it is very difficult to judge a young batsman'
Gautam Gambhir, captain of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, sent out a strong message to India’s cricket administrators, saying it would be wrong to pick youngsters for national duty based on performances in the Indian Premier League.
"I am a strong believer that you should not be judging a young talent on the T20 format. It is going to be unfair, because there are going to be times when there are not going to be enough opportunities for a young talent.
"I feel, if you really want to see a young talent, you should see him in first class cricket, and your first class cricket should be given more importance than IPL," said Gambhir, in Mumbai on Friday, at the launch at Sansui’s Curve 4K Ultra HD LED television.
"Your first class cricket should be given more importance than the IPL, because that is where your actual talent will come from," he added.
Gambhir, 33, has fallen out of favour with the national selectors over the last couple of years. The left-hander, who made his international debut in 2003, has played 56 Tests and 147 ODIs, scoring 4046 runs and 5238 runs respectively.
He urged the selectors to give importance to performances in first class cricket, which he believes is the true test of a batsman’s talent.
"People in India consider IPL bigger than first class cricket, but I think the first class cricket of any country should be far more important than the IPL, because in the T20 format it is very difficult to judge a young batsman."
Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles, in 2012 and 2014, but he believes that playing in the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament only helps youngsters develop temperament and not technique, which can only be gauged in domestic tournaments, like the Ranji Trophy, which is played over four days.
"Obviously, IPL is a great opportunity when you play at this stage and under this pressure you end up getting your temperament right. Your mental toughness can be tested in this tournament, but your actual technique can be tested only in first class cricket," he observed.
Image: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir
Photograph: BCCI
