You can't select cricketers based on T20 performances, says Dhoni

Pune: India ODI skipper MS Dhoni said that besides IPL, performance in the domestic circuit also is a must if a player does have to make it to the senior India cricket team.

Dhoni will be leading a new team Rising Pune Supergiants in this edition of the Indian Premier Leauge (IPL).

“IPL is a platform where you find out talent but after that you have to follow them in domestic circuit and see how well they are performing because the format is slightly different. When it comes to IPL, it is a four-over format and you can get away with a lot of runs. To select proper Test cricketers or 50 over cricketers just on basis of T20 over performances, I don’t think it is right,” Dhoni told reporters, here during the pre-match conference ahead of first T20 against Sri Lanka on Monday.

IPL gives you a place to spot talent, but you have to find players who have consistently handled pressure well, keep a close eye on them in the domestic circuit and give them exposure with different tournaments and then you may get a bigger pool of players,” he asserted.

Dhoni is happy that the team will be gaining exposure with the Sri Lanka series and also mentioned that the series sweep against Australia will be a big positive in their run to claim a second T20 title next month.

“It’s good that we’re playing a lot of T20s. What it does is that it gives us time to get into the groove, because it’s a different format, the requirements are very different and at the same time you want to be expressive on the field. The win in the last three games that we played in Australia will help us, so also the change of conditions here is exactly what we will get during the ICC World T20,” Dhoni added.

But besides cricket, there are other reasons why Dhoni has taken a liking towards Pune.

“Pune has always been a special ground for me. I love dogs and in this ground there’s a kennel which has 24 dogs of top breed,” Dhoni, who after the press-conference visited the kennel to spend time with the dogs before heading for the practice session, said.

Dhoni is also an honorary lieutenant in the Territorial Army and would like to see the air force station in the city, probably before he leaves.

I am always excited while coming to Pune. There is also an air force base here so you get to see fighter planes. Besides cricket, there are a lot of other things that attract me. Even though the ground is a bit small and away from the city, it has always been houseful,” he added.