Naman Ojha Upset With Domestic Cricket Not Getting Recognition For Indian Team Selection

Domestic Cricket

As per reports, many current and former Indian cricketers have felt that IPL performances have been given more importance than displays in domestic cricket. Recently, IPL stars Rahul Tewatia, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav received their maiden call-up for the T20I series against England. Selectors rewarded them for their stupendous performances in the IPL.

The Indian Premier League has given a spotlight to an abundance of talented youngsters who have gone on to become established stars for their countries. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Jasprit Bumrah made their names in the IPL before embarking on successful international careers.

Naman Ojha Feels Domestic Cricket Is Given Less Importance For Team Selection

According to former Indian swallow-batman Naman Ojha, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is superior to domestic competitions for the national team. Naman Ojha interacted with Indranil Basu from Sportskeeda in an SK Live session on Facebook, stressing that the IPL should not be preferred in the selection of Test and ODI teams for India.

“If you play domestic cricket and keep scoring runs then people will not look at those runs. In IPL if you play two good innings then you are in the Test team, the One-Day team, and the T20 squad,’ Ojha told Sportskeeda.

The recently-retired cricketer expressed the concern of players who might not choose to play First-Class cricket putting more effort than those in the IPL. The 37-year-old further said that the difference in recognition is also an issue. A player that plays 6 to 12 months of domestic cricket gets lesser recognition than someone who plays IPL

“I think you can select T20 teams from IPL but not for One-Day and Tests. Because then why play first-class cricket? Why spend so much? Because it takes a toll on your body. A lot of discipline and fitness is required for playing first-class cricket.

Ojha continued to say that it is not easy to play at the domestic level.

“It’s not that easy to play at the domestic level because at the international level you get very good facilities, physios and masseuses available all the time. In domestic you are travelling on a 5 am flight, practising and playing the match. It’s different and a bit difficult on the body,” Ojha concluded.


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