‘First-class experience helps more in Test cricket’ – Mandeep Singh sheds light on why India must prioritise domestic performances [Exclusive]

Indian cricket is currently going through one of its toughest phases in Test cricket, with historic series defeats against New Zealand and South Africa within a span of 12 months, raising serious questions about the team. With the debates continuing around selection policies and Gautam Gambhir’s recent comments on not forcing international players to play domestic cricket, Tripura skipper Mandeep Singh has stated India must prioritise domestic performances again, especially first-class cricket.

The struggles of Indian batters on turning tracks and their inability to handle quality spin have exposed players playing Test cricket without enough experience in red-ball conditions. The recent defeats in Kolkata and Guwahati, where Indian batters collapsed repeatedly against South Africa’s spinners, triggered criticism of both the team management and selectors.

Former cricketers and experts have questioned whether India’s obsession with IPL performances and the white-ball format has damaged their abilities in Test cricket. Mandeep spoke about the gap between India’s red-ball needs and current selection methods. While he agreed that white-ball tournaments such as the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and IPL are useful to judge T20 and ODI potential, he made it clear that Test cricket requires different preparations. For batters and spinners, Mandeep insisted that a strong first-class record must be non-negotiable. 

"No, I feel that when it comes to Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare, you can still judge players along with the IPL because all of them are white-ball formats. After Mushtaq Ali, you have the IPL as well, which is now the biggest cricket league in the world. Even for one-day cricket, you can pick players from the IPL if needed. But I also believe that sometimes selections are made based on potential, for example, an exceptional fast bowler. If a youngster is outstanding and you want to groom him for India, fair enough," he said exclusively on CricTracker.

Domestic performances should be the top priority: Mandeep Singh

The 33-year-old mentioned that India has slowly moved away from this system, leading to players debuting in Tests without proper long-format preparation. As a result, when they face world-class bowlers or tricky conditions, they collapse. The recent returns with the bat show that even talented players must have the technique that only domestic red-ball cricket can provide.

"However, when it comes to batters and spinners, I feel their first-class record must be strong. If someone is performing in the IPL but hasn’t done enough in Ranji Trophy, then maybe he should go back and prove himself there. If you look at players like Ajinkya Rahane, he scored heavily in domestic cricket for 3–4 years before making the Test team. Cheteshwar Pujara also scored a mountain of runs. Even Shubman Gill played Ranji Trophy for 2–3 years before entering Test cricket with a strong average. So, for Tests, domestic performances, especially for batters and spinners, should be the top priority," Mandeep added.

He also quashed the idea that age should be a barrier. Referring to Australia’s late debutants like Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster, Mandeep stressed that performance and fitness should matter more than a player’s age. Players like Karun Nair, he said, are peaking in their 30s and deserve opportunities.

"If someone is doing well in the IPL as well, that’s great. But first-class experience eventually helps you more in Test cricket. I also feel age should not be a barrier. As long as you are fit, improving, meeting fitness standards like the yo-yo test, and performing consistently, whether with bat or ball, I don’t think age should matter. Look at Australia: players like Webster made their debut at 31–32. Even Jake Weatherald, he’s also 31 or 32 and has just made his debut. They are not being recalled, they are debuting at that age. So we should keep an open mind. We shouldn’t think someone is “too old” after 30. In fact, some players, like Karun Nair, genuinely deserve selection and are peaking at 30+. Overall, we need to change the perspective that players cannot perform after 30," he concluded.