"It is about picking capable players; age should not be the criteria" - Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar, in a recent interview, said that it is a wrong perception that youngsters are to be promoted. The former cricketer opines that capable players should be picked for India, regardless of their age.
In this regard, Sachin Tendulkar said that performance and not age should be the sole criterion while picking players for the Indian team.
"One thing I would like to clarify here is that it is not just about picking youngsters. It is about picking capable players; you are talking about the Indian cricket team; age should not be criteria. It is about what you are able to deliver, and that is what matters, not age. If somebody is able to perform and may not be a young cricketer, but if you are able to perform, you should be playing for India," Sachin Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar opined hat the selection committee understands the best balance for the team, in terms of youth and experience, saying in this regard:
"Talking about youngsters, if you are able to perform, then he rightfully deserves it. But if he is not able to perform, then maybe there are options you can look at. It is just not about age; it is a misconception that you should promote youngsters. I feel we should be picking our best 11. We should be picking our best 14-15 member squad, and the best balance is known to the selection committee and it should be left to them," Sachin Tendulkar told ANI.
Sachin Tendulkar explains why Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have excelled against England
Sachin Tendulkar credited the IPL for helping young cricketers make a seamless transition to the international stage.
In this regard, he said that both Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have played against quality bowlers in the IPL, which helped them shine against England in the ongoing T20I series.
"As far as Suryakumar and Ishan are concerned, they both have done really well; they have not looked out of place at all, and there is a reason for that. They played against all these guys a number of times. Yesterday, one of the commentators said that Surya played against Archer and Stokes as if he was playing against Rajasthan Royals," Sachin Tendulkar said.
On the contrary, Sachin Tendulkar said that things were different when he made his debut more than three decades ago, as he faced quality international bowlers for the very first time.
"For us, when I went to Pakistan and Australia, I was playing all those bowlers for the first time, and that was at international level. So here the beauty is that they have played against top bowlers in the IPL and then playing against them for India, it is a big difference, you know what to expect from them, and that is what has happened. That is the beauty of our structure, and we can noticeably see that our bench strength is really good," Sachin Tendulkar concluded.