Gautam Gambhir Hopes IPL 'Not A Shortcut' To Play For India

Gambhir also asserted that the IPL has immensely developed the quality of the Indian domestic players and the way they go about their business in playing the format.

Outlook Sports Desk

Updated on: 20 May 2024 10:34 pm

Rohit Sharma with Gautam Gambhir ahead of the MIvs KKR match Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil

The Indian Premier League has given cricketers across India and the globe an incredible platform to showcase their talent and develop their skills to become a better version of themselves. (More Cricket News)

Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir has been recently approached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take over as the head coach of the side. However, the 42-year-old has no major coaching experience to showcase on resume.

The Delhi-born batter felt that despite IPL giving the players an opportunity of a lifetime, it should not hack-down the hunger of the rising stars from the county for play Test cricket for India.

Speaking on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube show, 'Kutti Stories with Ash', Gambhir said, "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."

But, Gambhir also asserted that the IPL has immensely developed the quality of the Indian domestic players and the way they go about their business in playing the format.

He also went on to say that no other team comes close with respect to the quality India produce and the lucrative league has become much more competitive than international T20 cricket.

"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," Gambhir added.