Indian Premier League should not be the only route to win a Team India berth

The Indian Premier League 2014 is well into its second week and there have been some exceptional performances. Glenn Maxwell's fireworks with the bat and Sunil Narine's exploits with the ball have left a cricket-starved Middle East begging for more. And Chris Gayle still hasn't had a game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore so far. But the IPL is not only about 'big' foreign names, for a lot of the success depends on how the Indian players perform. The Virat Kohlis, MS Dhonis, Shikhar Dhawans and Rohit Sharmas are match-winners for India and they continue to play key roles for their IPL franchises but what about the discards? What about the fringe players, who treat the seven-week T20 extravaganza as a means of getting back to the national side?

The IPL was never meant to be a short cut to the Team India dressing-room and it was certainly not meant to facilitate comebacks for struggling veterans. Before every tournament, a host of erstwhile stars talk of their intention to score big in the IPL and hopefully get a nod from the selectors. At times, that has happened but with not very great consequences.

The 2014 edition of the IPL, in spite of the dark cloud of the spot-fixing scam, also brought with it similar hopes for two former pillars of Indian cricket - Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Both have been out in the cold for over a year now, with newer, fresher faces ruling the roost. Sehwag's axing from the side set the stage for Dhawan's sensational debut and a spectacular comeback for Murali Vijay. Gambhir, meanwhile, could not stake a claim either and both Delhi Ranji teammates are hoping to use the IPL and get back in the selectors' memory. Sadly that has not happened, yet.

Gambhir, who was retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders, has had a horror run so far in the United Arab Emirates. Three successive ducks and a solitary run are all he has to show for the faith the KKR management reposed in him. He had said before the start of KKR's last game that he needed to spend some time in the middle, but when he did get a chance to do that, Gambhir played a loose shot, resulting in a soft dismissal. One run from four games may attract the national selectors for the wrong reasons!

But Gambhir himself would not have seen this coming; before the IPL, he had played four games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and gathered 162 runs, with a best of 75 not out, at an average of 54. Prior to that, Gambhir's 578 runs in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 48.16 had attracted some attention, especially because they came before the tours of South Africa and New Zealand. But of course, he was not considered and the former Indian left-hander now finds himself unable to score runs in a format that he had made his own not so long back.

On the other hand, Sehwag, who now bats with glasses and grudgingly opens the batting, had a far poorer Ranji season, managing a paltry 234 from seven games at 19.50, but finds himself, somehow, in a better frame of mind, as his last two scores of 30 and 37 in the IPL would suggest. Playing for Kings XI Punjab seems to have given Sehwag a fresh lease of life despite a mediocre domestic season. The big hits are starting to show up again in his armory as is the aggressive charge down the pitch to the spinners. His mauling of Sunil Narine on Sunday night was a precursor to what the Nawab of Najafgarh can do once he comes into his own.

India have at least some strong openers in their ranks - Dhawan has had a poor run lately but his ODI opening partner Rohit Sharma has been just about consistent over the Asia Cup and the ICC World T20, while Ajinkya Rahane has shown he can be steady at the top. However, with the World Cup less than a year away, India will need to look at aggressive and experienced openers, who can handle world class fast bowlers on the bouncy pitches of Australia and New Zealand.

Sehwag played a huge role in India's triumph in 2011 while Gambhir's 97 in the final against Sri Lanka set up the historic chase at the Wankhede Stadium. These two men will be desperate to be a part of India's title defence Down Under but time is fast running out, especially for Sehwag, who will be 36 by the time India travel to Australia for World Cup 2015.

Gambhir has a better prospect for an India return, thanks to his decent run before the IPL. If he can find a way to score some runs over the next few weeks, who knows! Maybe, Gambhir will be on that flight to England for a two-month tour. He is too good a player to miss out for too long and the Indian think-tank will be as keen for him to score runs as he would be himself.

The bottom line is simple. The Indian Premier League cannot be a decisive factor for a return to the Indian team but a good IPL season on the back of a solid domestic show should open the door for a player with good pedigree and Gambhir certainly fits the bill. Sehwag? Maybe it's time to say goodbye.