Pick players based on merit for T20 WC: Sachin Tendulkar
What's the story
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar believes the Indian selectors should pick players on the basis of merit and not age, for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
Speaking on the sidelines of Road Safety World Series, the 47-year-old stated age shouldn't be a criteria for selection.
Tendulkar recently led India Legends to final of the tournament with a win against West Indies Legends.
Quote
'It's not just about picking youngsters', says Tendulkar
Speaking on the selection criteria, Tendulkar said, "One thing I would like to clarify here is that it is not just about picking youngsters. It is about picking capable players, you are talking about the Indian cricket team, age should not be criteria."
Team
The team management remains under the scanner for rotating players
Tendulkar's statement comes amid the ongoing T20I series between India and England.
After the fourth T20I, which India won by eight runs, the team management faced backlash for constant rotation of players.
Several experts also took a dig at the management for not backing the core ahead of the mega ICC event.
Notably, the perpetual experiments have fetched mixed results for India so far.
Balance
'We should pick our best XI, not only youngsters'
"If you're able to perform then he rightfully deserves it. But if he's not able to perform, then maybe there are options you can look at. It is just not about age, it is a misconception that you should promote youngsters," added Tendulkar.
"We should be picking our best 11. We should be picking our best 14-15 member squad and the best balance."
Entrants
Plenty of fresh faces in the Indian side
Plenty of fresh faces including Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini among others have been added to national side of late.
They have joined the fray as several marquee players likes Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are unavailable for selection presently.
Nevertheless, the white-ball series against England could well be a crucial audition for these entrants.
Series
The five-match T20I series leveled at 2-2
India made a terrific comeback in the five-match T20I series by winning the fourth game.
Top-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav stole the show with an astonishing 57 in the first innings.
The likes of Shreyas Iyer (37) and Rishabh Pant (30) too contributed as India won by eight runs.
Now, the series is nicely poised at 2-2, with one game to go.