Think more of playing Test cricket than of IPL: Patil
Chief selector Sandeep Patil on Wednesday asked young cricketers to think more of playing Test cricket than taking part in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.
"Please youngsters, if you want to play true cricket, it's Test cricket and not IPL. IPL is like fast food where you just pay, grab a bite and go home. But if you want to earn a name for yourself, for your team, for your country, for your parents, please give importance to longer version of the game which is true cricket," Patil said.
He was speaking at the Ramesh Rajde Trust for Young Cricketers, that awards scholarship to young Mumbai cricketers.
Patil said when he was young, there were no awards and his parents asked him to concentrate on the games he played.
"My father who used to play cricket and my mother who was also a sportsperson, made sure I concentrated more on my game. There were no prizes. The first prize I received in my life was Rs 300. I didn't know what to do with it," Patil said.
He also praised Arman Jaffer, who cracked 473 to break Harris Shield record this year, and advised youngsters to set achievable targets.
"Arman has done wonders. Don't look back. Don't stop here. There is no better way to achieve a goal you have set. Always set a goal you can achieve. Everybody wants to be Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev. We have great examples but you know your body, you know where you can reach. So set a goal that is achievable and try and achieve it," he said.
Former selector and national coach Anshuman Gaekwad said IPL has created awareness among the people but advised the youngsters to concentrate on Test cricket at the moment.
"IPL has done wonders for Indian cricket. By wonders I mean the amount of interest it has created among people of India and at one stage it looked as if it was dying. Like in West Indies, people play less cricket and played football. Went to America and played basketball," Gaekwad said.
"There is nothing wrong with IPL but now is not the time to play just IPL kind of cricket but Test cricket. Get your basics right and you will succeed," he said.
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