IPL form not enough for national selection - Prasad

Venkatesh Prasad, the Chennai Super Kings bowling coach, believes that IPL performances cannot be the only yardstick for selection to the Indian team.

"Though the IPL is top of our minds, you cannot pick players for an international team on the basis of their IPL performance alone. Young cricketers have to prove themselves in domestic cricket, the Ranji and Duleep trophies to understand their capabilities, their talent and their ability to withstand pressure," Prasad, a former India bowling coach, wrote in the Times of India.

"In the IPL, stardom is fast and fleeting. From what I can see from the outside, the lads certainly enjoy the lights, they like being noticed and grabbing the headlines. Yet they have to understand that their lives will not just be about the IPL but about how they can make long careers with their talent.

"They have to contribute not just to their franchises but also to their state teams. They have to do the boring things repeatedly - be disciplined, look after their fitness and keep their focus on the job at hand," Prasad said.

Karnataka seamer Vinay Kumar is the topical example of a player doing the hard yards before his national call-up, a decision that pleased Prasad, who has been involved with his career. "Vinay has been a very hard worker who has put in the yards and years in domestic cricket. It is fantastic to see him take another big step. At the same time, it will be tough for cricketers like Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli to find themselves out of the reckoning.

"Uthappa was a part of the Indian team that won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 and Kohli is part of the Indian limited-overs set-up. They could probably have a lot of lessons to pass on to rookie Pandey about what life is like at that level and what he should learn quickly," Prasad said.