‘IPL checks a player’s temperament under pressure’

We try to go with our intuition. In the IPL,we saw many players performing – some were consistent,some weren’t,but what matters to me the most is how a player handles himself in crunch situations.

There is a school of thought that players doing well in IPL shouldn’t be picked immediately. Your take on it?

I don’t agree with it. If any domestic player is facing quality international players and comes out well,then it shows his level. What matters is how players handle pressure and how they overcome different situations. That is where one can judge a player’s calibre,and that’s how we went about it as selectors.

But does the same apply to bowlers? Are four overs enough to judge their skills?

Bowlers do bowl only four overs but we try to see whom they are bowling to and how they are bowling. Domestic players don’t have the luxury of playing in packed stadiums against and with international players,so the IPL provides that platform.

Do you think IPL performances should be given the same weightage as performances in first-class cricket?

We never differentiate whether performances came in IPL or in some other game. We just went with our gut. In a case like Virat Kohli,he was picked when he did well in Australia. What we wanted to see was the spark he had,the nerve to face quality bowling in tough conditions. One can’t say that T20 players can’t play in Tests,one has to see the player’s temperament under pressure. \

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