"Parents Are Overawed With IPL's Success...": World Cup Winning India Great's Reality Check

Former India captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar on Monday exhorted the youngsters to aim for playing and excelling in Test cricket, saying success in the traditional format brings the real honour to the players. Vengsarkar said parents nowadays get lured by the fame and financial benefits of success in the T20 leagues but the focus of the young players should only be on red-ball cricket, which would also help them do well in other formats.

"Parents are overawed with the success of IPL, its teams and players," Vengsarkar, member of 1983 World Cup winning team, said at an event to launch cricket coach Jwala Singh's book, titled Pathway to Cricketing Excellence and Beyond.

Vengsarkar, also a former chief selector credited for bringing Virat Kohli into the national team, said parents might have inclination towards training their children to become batters but bowlers carry equal importance irrespective of the format.

"The bowlers also have a big role to play not just in the IPL but also Test cricket, they can be match-winners. Try to play Test cricket for your country, if you are a good Test cricketer you can play other formats of the game," he said.

"You will be rated only by what you have done for the country in Test cricket. IPL is a good format, it is good entertainment and it also meets the finances, which is also very important but Test match cricket is the ultimate," Vengsarkar added.

Jwala, who is known for taking India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal under his wings at a young age , said role of parents and right coaches is equally important.

"When you play any sports there are three pillars, one is the player, and the second is the parents and third is the coach. It has to be a combined effort of all three and