IPL vs Ranji Trophy: Is Team India’s Test team selection now leaning toward T20 stars instead of proven first-class performers?
It was a sheer humiliation for Team India, when the team, once hailed for its Test dominance lost 0-2 home Test series against South Africa. Moreover, they lost the second Test by a record 408-runs in Guwahati, which surely exposed deep cracks in the national team’s red-ball framework.
What was the reason for this collapse, one that pushed India down to fifth in the World Test Championship table? Opinions vary, but at the heart of it lies a clear misstep in team selection, a choice that seemed to favour IPL flair over the Ranji Trophy grind. Players like Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy earned Test spots through T20 glamour, sidelining domestic stalwarts such as Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, and Karun Nair, whose first-class mastery gathers dust.
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Bold promise and bitter betrayal
Gautam Gambhir arrived as head coach preaching a return to roots. “The Test side should be picked from the Ranji Trophy,” he was quoted as saying in 2024. He urged format-specific selections back then. There was a momentum shift immediately, with Virat Kohli eyeing a Ranji return after 12 years, Rohit Sharma training with Mumbai, and KL Rahul joining domestic duties amid BCCI mandates for centrally contracted players.
However, the promised shift never took shape. Gambhir revamped the Test selection blueprint almost from scratch, favouring multi-utility players who could bat and bowl, in a format that demands specialists and a solid, experienced core.
This experiment-heavy approach drew sharp criticism. Former cricketers like Kris Srikkanth have condemned the constant “trial and error”, with debutants appearing in every other match and little consistency in selection policy. Adding to the confusion, Gambhir’s own contradictions surfaced: while he spoke of long-term vision, he often backed his IPL protégés, leading selectors to prioritise T20-style attributes over proven domestic performances.
The IPL darlings
Sai Sudharsan exemplifies the malaise. IPL 2025 Orange Cap winner with consistent 40s-80s, he debuted in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy despite modest Ranji returns. Nitish Kumar Reddy, fresh off IPL all-round promise, earned a Border-Gavaskar Test cap in Perth 2024, impressing with 41 on debut but questioned for sparse red-ball prep, his India A outings underwhelmed. Harshit Rana, Gambhir’s KKR IPL discovery (19 wickets in 2024), snagged Test spots across formats, batting at No 8 despite doubts on his lower-order solidity.
These picks reflect IPL’s gravitational pull, instant visibility trumps endurance. Sudharsan benefited directly from 2025 IPL success translating to Test doors, while Rana’s England tour inclusion as injury cover bypassed red-ball specialists.
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Forgotten Ranji heroes
Contrast this with Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has amassed 8,136 first-class runs at an average of 47.9, including 27 centuries in 109 matches. Despite being part of the squad since 2022, he has spent his time watching from the dressing room, consigned to the bench. Sarfaraz Khan, with 4,863 runs in 60 first-class games, finally earned a call-up in 2024 after years of prolific scoring, yet has since been pushed to the margins – even as India continue to search for a reliable No. 4. And Karun Nair, a Test triple-centurion and 863 runs at 53.93 in a Ranji Season, endured a lean phase during England tour but was never seriously considered for a return.
Red-ball woes
Ranji Trophy bleeds talent. A report by the Indian Express has revealed a concerning trend, 56 out of 165 players skipped Ranji Trophy, 25 played one, nearly half prioritising T20 freshness over five-day toil. Youngsters chase IPL glamour for contracts and fame, shunning multi-day solidity; pitches favour results over technique, crowds thin, payments lag white-ball riches. BCCI’s packed schedule, three formats, endless leagues, exacerbates this; no mandatory Ranji quotas for seniors erode participation.
This IPL-first mentality dooms both present and pipeline. Team India is crumbling abroad and at home, lacking a battle-hardened core. Upcoming generations mimic: fancy T20 strokes over Ranji resilience, stunting Test talent pool.
The way forward
Fixes demand resolve. Mandate five to seven Ranji games for all probables, tie Test contracts to domestic participation, emulate Gautam Gambhir’s initial push with teeth. Upgrade Ranji games: better pitches, higher incentives, prime slots away from T20 clutter. Selectors must shun hype, Easwaran, Nair in XI over IPL flashes. Prioritise specialists and foster A tours as Test gateways.
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