Unfortunately, the performances in domestic cricket do not seem to carry the same weight as they used to before the Indian Premier League (IPL) came into the picture. Players who perform in the IPL very soon get onto the selectors’ radar, irrespective of the format. Veteran pacer Navdeep Saini, who has represented India in 2 Tests, 8 ODIs, and 11 T20Is, talked about his not being in the national team and said that it is very unlikely that a player would be selected for the Indian team these days without performing in the IPL first.
The player who was once the spearhead in India’s pace attack last played for the team in 2021. He expressed his views on the changing realities of selection by looking at the situation from a different angle after the play was over during Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Himachal Pradesh.
“Main jab aaya tha mere paas khone ko kuch nahi tha aur itne saal baad aaj bhi khone ko kuch nahi hai. Main agar India comeback ka sapna na dekhoon mujhe haq nahi Delhi team mein ek jagah rok ke rakhne ki. (I had nothing to lose when I came here in 2013, neither do I have anything to lose now. If I don’t dream of an India comeback, what’s the point of blocking a slot in the Delhi team),” Saini told reporters after a day’s work, where he stood head and shoulders above the rest.
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The player who was once the spearhead in India’s pace attack last played for the team in 2021. He was very outspoken about the changing realities of selection.
“Undoubtedly, good performance in the IPL is the only way to get to play for India. This is the way things are. I got a shoulder injury and my pacer was not up to the mark for almost a year which he cost me an IPL contract,” he confessed.
Meanwhile, the question regarding the choice between white-ball formats, such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy or Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Saini answered with a smile: “Sure, I can do that but I really enjoy this challenge of bowling in days’ games. Mujhe mazaa aata hai. In my last match, I could not take wickets (in Hyderabad) since the wicket was slow. On this track, after tea, it became lively.” Now, does he still think of an India return? “Why not? If I get a couple of fives, I will be in the talks again,” said Saini, whose birthday is next month, turning 33-still running hard, still having big dreams.
