Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday said the youngsters' performance in Twenty20 cricket does not count for much until they prove their calibre in the Test format as has been done by seniors like him.
"Let's not jump up and down too much at their performance in Twenty20. As a player, I'd love to see them perform in five dayers and 50-over games. That's where the real test lies," he said.
"If you see my performance, I've scored more than 3000 runs in international cricket, which is more than any other Indian batsmen, ever since my comeback (in late 2006). But still I'm under the scanner," said Ganguly, the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in the IPL told a press meet.
Ganguly, however, admitted that captaining a Twenty20 side was different.
"Its different. It demands quick thinking. Captaining a Test side, you get a lot of time to make a comeback, but in Twenty20 if something goes wrong in three-four overs, you may be gone."
Asked whether Charu Sharma 'stepping down' as CEO of Bangalore Royal Challengers meant that franchisee owners had started putting pressure on their players and officials, Ganguly said, "At this level of cricket anywhere in the world, cricketer is always under pressure. What is important is how you handle it."
"There is no guarantee on performance. You will have good and bad days. But pressure is part and parcel of the game, and you will have to deal with it," he said.
Ganguly felt there was not much difference among the sides at the IPL now. "Though Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have a slight edge, any team is capable of beating the other in the tournament."
On Aakash Chopra's inclusion in the fourteen for Thursday's game against Bangalore Royal Challengers, he said, "We're backing him to do well. He has done well in the Ranji Trophy, where he has a strike rate of more than 100. He also understands that he'll have to change his game a bit."
