"Why not depend on it for T20 selection" - Deep Dasgupta calls for the IPL to be used as a benchmark

Former India wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta feels that the IPL could be used as a potential benchmark to select players for India's T20 squad. It would be similar to other domestic cricket ventures in the country. The tournament has been an avenue and a platform for several members of the current squad.

Dasgupta believes that performances in the IPL should be valued more given how competitive they are. As the Ranji Trophy is marked as a tournament to perform in order to break into the Test squad, Dasgupta notes that the IPL could be such a tournament for selection into the T20 side. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Dasgupta said:

"IPL is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, then why not depend on it for T20 WC squad selection. Like we see Ranji Trophy for Test match cricket, why not use IPL similarly. Yes, there is the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, but the talent gets filtered there. You perform well in Syed Mushtaq Ali and then you come into the IPL. If that's the case then IPL performances should be a benchmark based on which people are selected."

Top performers in the recent leg of the IPL such as Yuzvendra Chahal and Shreyas Iyer were unable to break into the World Cup squad.

The future of T20 cricket will be like how England plays it at the moment: Dasgupta

Dasgupta notes that Team India will have to revamp their mindset when it comes to playing T20 cricket, given how the game has changed. He outlined England's current setup as the ideal example of how India should prepare for the future. Dasgupta added:

"I think it is important that the mindset, when it comes to T20s needs to change because the future of T20 cricket will be like how England plays it at the moment. No matter how big a batsman Jos Buttler is, if he gets out while trying to play a shot, it's fine because they have depth. It does not depend on 1-2 players. They go hard from ball one but they're sensible."

England's depth, prowess and versatality handed them the 50-over World Cup. They are now marching on with their ruthless approach with four wins out of four in the ongoing T20 World Cup as well. The Three Lions staged a revival of their approach to white-ball cricket following their early exit from the 2015 World Cup. A similar wake-up call could be in the making for India if they fail to qualify for the knockouts of the T20 World Cup.