Former KKR batter Manvinder Bisla backed head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selectors after the first Test between Sri
Lanka and India at Galle. The second Test will take place in Colombo, starting Sunday, August 23. However, Gautam Gambhir and the selection committee have often been criticised in recent times for their calls and backing certain players, but he said that it was not right to blame them for backing talented players based on their vision or thought process as well.
“If you keep waiting for players to be in domestic cricket, they will keep playing there for 4-5 years and become domestic legends but may not make it to the Indian team. I feel it is very unfortunate how we blame selectors or Gautam Gambhir just because they are backing a talent,” he said. (via TheBallyBaazi)
“Players can only prove whether the selection is right or not. In this game, Padikkal and Suthar did well. But if they failed, would you say the selection is bad? This is how cricket works on social media, and we are quick to write someone off. It is the players who justify the selection, and when they don’t do well, we put a tag on them. But the selectors, coach, and captain have a vision. Sometimes you select based on numbers, sometimes you fast-track someone based on talent because you feel they will do well,” he further added.
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However, Manvinder Bisla also backed Team India’s keeper-batter Rishabh Pant to continue playing his natural game in Test cricket as well. He also believed Pant getting out while trying to play a big shot would be better than him giving his wicket while trying to defend a ball.
“I love the OG Pant. The way he has dominated Test cricket till now, he should play in the same manner. The day he gets out defending the ball, there will be more trouble. If Pant gets out trying to hit a six, there is no problem. When he scored a fifty in the second innings, he played in the same way, right? He has already scored so many hundreds in Test cricket. Why do we need to compare him to anyone? Every player has a different quality, and it is important to realise that. Other teams would be scared that when in flow, Pant will turn the game in 30-45 minutes. But we are asking him to play responsibly. You need confidence to bat like this and back your game when you know the world will get behind you when you get out,” he concluded.
