Challenger Trophy should not be the only yardstick

It's not exactly fair to judge a players temperament and technique for the longer version of the game using one-day games as a yardstick. Though this provides the youth an opportunity and experience to play with the stars, it's unfair to judge a player who is in the reckoning for higher honours as he has only 50 overs to impress the selectors. So can the Challenger Trophy, being played at Ahmedabad, be taken as a yardstick for selection to the Board President's XI or the Test side?

The Management needs to take into account the performance of players throughout this season especially those in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy and then come to a conclusion. These tournaments are of longer variety and helps a player to display his temperament, determination and concentration. In the recently concluded Australian series, the openers and middle order batsmen were found wanting for the same reason, which resulted in batting collapses time and again.

Those under trial, being under pressure, tend to curb their natural attacking instincts and adopt a defensive approach even in the one day game. The selectors would do well in taking into account the overall performances of the players when it comes to the selection of the Board President's XI team to play South Africa.

Ideally, the President's XI should have a combination of players who are on the comeback trail like Md.Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia and Vinod Kambli, players who have done well on the domestic circuit like S.Sharath, Murali Kartik, J Arun Kumar and Sanjai Bangar and rounded off by including the youths who were members of the victorious under-19 World Cup squad - Reetinder Sodhi, Yuvraj Singh, Md Kaif and Ravneet Ricky.