Performance, Not Age Should Be The Criteria For Selection In The Indian Team: Sachin Tendulkar

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar believes that players in the Indian Cricket Team should be picked on the basis of their performance irrespective of the fact that they are a youngster or an experienced domestic player.

Sachin Tendulkar, who has been in blistering form in the ongoing Road Safety World Series, said that ultimately it’s the performance that matters when it comes to picking players for the national team and while it is good to give youngsters a chance but if he does not performs then one should always look for players who are piling up runs in the domestic circuit irrespective of their age.

“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,” said Sachin Tendulkar as quoted by ANI.

“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,” he added.

Sachin Tendulkar attributed the reason behind uncapped players playing with no fear at the international stage to the Indian Premier League where they compete against the best in the world on a regular basis

“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 has played against Archer and Stokes like as good as playing against Rajasthan Royals,” said Sachin Tendulkar.

“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 added.

Also Read- Not Really Disappointed: Suryakumar Yadav On His Controversial Dismissal