"The moment you start picking players in the one-day format by their T20 performance, then you are giving your domestic 50-over competitions absolutely no relevance."
India opener Gautam Gambhir does not think IPL form should influence Champions Trophy selection. Gambhir, who last played an ODI for India in January 2013, has been in fine form for Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL but said a call-up for the Champions Trophy was not on his mind. Scoring runs for KKR with the Champions Trophy in mind would be "selfish", he said, and emphasised that good T20 form should not warrant ODI selection given the differences in the two formats.
"Absolutely, I totally agree [that T20 numbers should not be the sole criteria for ODI selection]," Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo. "T20 runs should only be a criteria to get selected for a T20 side. The moment you start picking players in the one-day format by their T20 performance, then you are giving your domestic 50-over competitions absolutely no relevance."
"Absolutely, I totally agree [that T20 numbers should not be the sole criteria for ODI selection]," Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo. "T20 runs should only be a criteria to get selected for a T20 side. The moment you start picking players in the one-day format by their T20 performance, then you are giving your domestic 50-over competitions absolutely no relevance."
The demands of ODI cricket are very different to those of T20, Gambhir pointed out. l
