Do they deserve their India caps?
It's time to have a look at some of the players picked for the ODIs in England and see if they have been anywhere near selection for the Indian team, says Sunil Gavaskar
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
It's time to have a look at some of the players picked for the ODIs in England and see if they have been anywhere near selection for the Indian team, says Sunil Gavaskar. Just because the IPL has more viewership than the Ranji Trophy does not mean that the players who do well in that should get the India cap, he writes in Mid-Day, but have a look at some of the players picked for the ODIs and see if they have done well and been anywhere near selection for the Indian team. So the caps were quite clearly undeserved and a waste.
The Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy are the premier tournaments for selection and have always been so, but how many of the games are watched by selectors who are now paid to do so? The selectors are seen at Test and international matches in India and that too even when the Ranji or Duleep games are going on and it would be far more productive if the selectors were out for those and look for new talent than go to a Test and see players whom they have seen so many times before. Mind you, with most if not all Ranji games being played without the international players it doesn’t always give a correct picture of the ability and temperament of the player. Still to ignore that is not a smart thing to do.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo