While former India opener and current KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir rates the standard of cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) very highly, he believes the tournament should not be a primary feeder to pick young players for the national team.
Gambhir highlighted the importance of striking a balance between the IPL and other domestic cricket competitions.
According to Gambhir, the IPL provides valuable exposure and experience but it should not overshadow the significance of longer formats and tournaments, which is crucial in the development of youngsters.
"The bigger concern that arises is about how many youngsters want to play Test cricket for India. I hope the IPL is not a shortcut to play for India," Gambhir said while speaking on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube show, 'Kutti Stories with Ash'.
The 42-year-old also acknowledged that the IPL has benefitted the Indian domestic cricketers immensely.
"Today, when I look at international T20 sides, apart from 2-3 teams, I don't see enough competition when it comes to playing for India," Gambhir stated.
"Not many teams can match the quality that India has. So, I feel that in today's day and age, IPL has become far more competitive than international T20 cricket.
"Just the quality of the domestic players has changed, the way domestic players want to play in the IPL and the way they work around T20 cricket -- I think most of their focus is on playing T20 cricket."
Gautam Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, returned to the side as the team mentor this season. He is known for his blunt and straightforward opinions.
Speaking on the same, Gambhir said, "I'm not breaking any rules. I want to be as aggressive as I can be. And what's wrong with that? That's my nature. That's my characteristic because, for me, winning, it's an obsession, and I'm obsessed with winning. That's the problem I have."
Gambhir also clarified that he doesn't need to smile and all he cares is giving 100% on the field.
"Sometimes when people talk about – he doesn't smile or love. He's always intense, grumpy, walking on the edge, old and has his game face on," he said.
"People don't come to watch me smile. Unfortunately, people come to watch me win. That's the kind of profession we guys are in. I can't help it."
"I'm not an entertainment. I'm not a Bollywood actor, or I'm not a corporate. I'm a cricketer into performing art. My job is I want to come back in a winning dressing room. Fortunately, unfortunately, a winning dressing room is a happy dressing room."
(With PTI Inputs)
