2012 Indian Premier League (IPL) winner Manvinder Bisla defended head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selectors after the first Test between Sri Lanka and India at Galle. The second game will be played in Colombo starting Sunday, August 23.
Gautam Gambhir and the selection committee have often been criticised in recent times for their calls and backing certain players. The IPL winner reckoned that it was not right to blame them for backing talent based on their vision or thought process.
“If you keep waiting for players to be in domestic cricket, they will keep playing there for 4-5 years and become domestic legends but may not make it to the Indian team. I feel it is very unfortunate how we blame selectors or Gautam Gambhir just because they are backing a talent,” he said. (via TheBallyBaazi)
Taking the examples of Manav Suthar and Devdutt Padikkal, who performed brilliantly in the first Test, Bisla explained that players also played a part in making certain selections good or bad. He questioned whether picking these two would be criticised had they failed to perform. The former IPL star thus expressed that selectors and coaches would back players on different parameters.
“Players can only prove whether the selection is right or not. In this game, Padikkal and Suthar did well. But if they failed, would you say the selection is bad? This is how cricket works on social media, and we are quick to write someone off. It is the players who justify the selection, and when they don’t do well, we put a tag on them. But the selectors, coach, and captain have a vision. Sometimes you select based on numbers, sometimes you fast-track someone based on talent because you feel they will do well.”
Manav Suthar bagged ten wickets in the match, while Padikkal scored 211 runs, including his maiden Test century (167) in the first innings.
IPL winner backs India superstar to continue his natural game
In the same conversation, Manvinder Bisla also backed Team India superstar Rishabh Pant to continue playing his natural game in Test cricket. He believed Pant getting out while trying to play a big shot would be better than him giving his wicket away by defending a ball.
“I love the OG Pant. The way he has dominated Test cricket till now, he should play in the same manner. The day he gets out defending the ball, there will be more trouble. If Pant gets out trying to hit a six, there is no problem,” he said.
The IPL winner also highlighted how Pant scored a half-century in the second innings by playing aggressively and was the highest scorer in India’s total of 193. Bisla reckoned that there was no need to ask Pant to change his style of play and lauded the wicketkeeper-batter for showing confidence and faith in his ability.
“When he scored a fifty in the second innings, he played in the same way, right? He has already scored so many hundreds in Test cricket. Why do we need to compare him to anyone? Every player has a different quality, and it is important to realise that. Other teams would be scared that when in flow, Pant will turn the game in 30-45 minutes. But we are asking him to play responsibly. You need confidence to bat like this and back your game when you know the world will get behind you when you get out,” he added.
Pant scored 66 runs off 69 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes. As mentioned by the former IPL star, Pant has eight Test hundreds from just 51 matches so far.
Edited by Rishab Vm