Sunil Gavaskar applauds selectors for rewarding domestic performances

Former India batsman and captain Sunil Gavaskar praised the national cricket team selectors for awarding domestic players for their performances as five uncapped players were selected for a much changed India squad picked for the tour of Zimbabwe. The 1983 World Cup winning batsman in an interview with news channel NDTV said,” It is good to see performances being rewarded. It is not only about the IPL. Chahal in the season before has picked up wickets. He is also an outstanding fielder.”

Gavaskar said he was happy to see domestic talents being selected, "It is good to see performances in domestic cricket (being) rewarded. You can always argue that IPL is also a domestic tournament, but for me events like Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, these performances should really matter when picking a national team."

When asked about the Pandya brothers, Krunal and Hardik missing out on the squad, Gavaskar said, “I think it is early days. I think the selectors have done the right thing, they want to see more of Krunal, they have seen Hardik. There is still little time for both of them. The more experienced they get, it will be better for them. You can't complain.”

He felt that the omission could be a blessing in disguise for them saying, “Yeah, sometime you may feel stuck... The IPL is a glamour tournament and on many occasions players selected on basis of IPL have floundered in international cricket. It is a different ball game. So maybe it is a blessing in disguise for the Pandya brothers."

The Indian team will be led by captain MS Dhoni, who was widely expected to be rested for this game. The five uncapped players selected for the tour are; IPL purple cap holder Yuzvendra Chahal, Vidarbha's Faiz Fazal, middle order batsman Mandeep Singh, Jayant Yadav, and inform Delhi batsman Karun Nair.

The squad for India’s test tour to the West Indies after the Zimbabwe tour was also announced. The squad for the Tests also had few surprises as the big names of Indian cricket returned. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohit Sharma and others make their return to the squad after taking a break from the grueling cricket season.