I think you can select T20 teams from IPL but not for ODI and Tests: Naman Ojha

Indian Premier League (IPL) acts as a stepping stone in the career of many Indian players as it provides them an opportunity to introduce themselves to the cricket fraternity and make a case for themselves in India’s national cricket team. There are many talented Indian lads including Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Ashwin who are a product of Indian T20 Extravaganza.

However, there are some cricketers who feel that the performance in IPL is given more importance than it ideally should be. Former Indian cricketer Naman Ojha, who featured in 113 IPL games amassing 1554 runs at an average of 20.7 and strike rate of 118.3, opened up on the issue stating that it is wrong for the selectors to give more preference to IPL than domestic cricket.

Ojha believes that one can select the players for T20 team on the basis of Indian league but the players for Tests and One Day Internationals shouldn’t be decided after one or two good performances in the T20 Championship.

“If you play domestic cricket and keep scoring runs then people will not look at those runs. In IPL if you play two good innings then you are in the Test team, the One-Day team, and the T20 squad,’ Ojha told Sportskeeda.

“I think you can select T20 teams from IPL but [not] for One-Day and Tests. [Because] then why play first-class cricket? Why spend so much? Because it takes a toll on your body. A lot of discipline and fitness is required for playing first-class cricket,” he added.

It’s not that easy to play at the domestic level: Naman Ojha

Further in the interaction, the 37-year-old highlighted the struggles cricketers have to face while playing in the domestic circuit. Ojha reckoned that it is comparatively easy to survive in the international circuit as you are provided with better travel and other facilities including physios.

“It’s not that easy to play at the domestic level because at the international level you get very good facilities, physios and masseuses available all the time. In domestic you are traveling on a 5 am flight, practicing and playing the match. It’s different and a bit difficult on the body,” Ojha concluded.