"There is a problem": KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir on hype around youngsters

New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir gave his take on the growing obsession around overhyping youngsters who show immense potential rather than sticking to a more balanced approach.
In the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, Lucknow Super Giants unearthed a talent, Mayank Yadav who has the potential to put the speed gun to the test by clicking 150kph. Former cricketers and fans witnessed the sheer pace of the Delhi tearaway and backed him up to feature in the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.
Gambhir believes that a bowler should be selected depending on the number of crucial overs he can bowl and the condition of the surface where the match is supposed to be held.
"There is a problem. In India, we start creating so much hype with these young cricketers coming through. I think the thing is, everyone gets excited if someone is bowling at 150 clicks. But the point is you need to look at the conditions as well," Gambhir said on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel.
On the batting front, the former India star opener feels that averages and runs won't be relevant in T20 cricket. The one factor that will emerge more prominent than others will be the strike rate.
"You need to look at... I was having a discussion yesterday with someone I said, going forward in T20 cricket. I think the averages, the runs, will have no impact. It is the strike rates, it's when you have to select a batter and when you have to select a bowler, the kind of tough overs he can bowl. That will be the discussion that will happen in the next two or three years. The point is, we keep talking about the amount of runs, the amount of averages and all that stuff. Someone bowling at 150 sometimes when you go in a condition like a West Indies or in Bangladesh with someone who is bowling 150 clicks. But you need to look at the condition as well," Gambhir added.
Gambhir rooted for a more balanced approach which keeps the pressure off the youngsters.
The 42-year-old feels judging a player on the basis of two to three matches would not be ideal. He also believes that talking too much about a youngster could also lead to backlash for him.
"You might need someone who's bowling a lot of cutters as well. And that is where the vision needs to be with the selectors. But again. I think if you start picking, sometimes you pick raw talent, but creating so much hype just after two or three games, we need to have a balanced approach because what happens in India is that the graph goes like this. And it is not good for a young player as well. And that is where all the experts, all the commentators, everyone needs to be more balanced when it comes to these young players because it is very easy for them, probably to get deviated from the hardwork or from all the good things they are doing because suddenly when you start talking about this young cricketer a lot, that he's done really well sometimes it can backlash as well for him," Gambhir said.
"So I feel I think we need to have a much, much-balanced approach, and more importantly looking at the conditions which are equally important," he added. (ANI)