There was a time in Indian cricket when domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy were considered the supply line for the national team. However, with the growing popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a lot of players are getting picked for international cricket on the basis of their performance in the T20 league.
If we look at the current Indian Test squad which is in Australia, pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy were picked despite their lack of experience in first-class cricket. Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is said to have played a key role in the selection of the two youngsters.
Incidentally, back in 2015, the former India batter had opined that performances in first-class cricket must be considered as the yardstick to judge players. He had commented (as quoted by PTI):
While praising the IPL as a great opportunity for players to display their talent, he had added that actual technique could only be tested in first-class cricket.
Speaking of the newcomers in the current Indian Test squad, Harshit has played 12 first-class matches, while Reddy is featuring in his 27th game.
A former captain of the Delhi domestic team, Gambhir played 198 first-class games from 1999-00 to 2018, amassing 15,153 runs at an average of 49.35, with 43, 68 fifties and a best of 233*. The southpaw also featured in 299 List A games and scored over 10,000 runs at an average of 36.91, with 21 tons to his name.
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