Jayant Yadav says Champions Trophy too far to think about

With most of the India cricketers, especially the discarded ones counting on the Indian Premier League (IPL) to make it to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy squad in June, off-spinner Jayant Yadav on Wednesday said he does not necessarily see it as a gateway to the national side.

The 27-year-old Haryana tweaker has not played in limited overs for India since his lone One-day International (ODI) appearance against New Zealand.

Jayant, who will be seen in the Delhi Daredevils colours in the 10th edition of the IPL, however, said that his complete focus is on the cash-rich T20 league at the moment and he doesn't want to think so far.

"I wouldn't look that far. For me, everything goes day by day. Whatever has to happen, will happen," Jayant told reporters in the pre-season press conference of the Daredevils.

"I would like to take this IPL, not thinking of it as a chance to stake my claim (in the Indian team), but as a chance to have an impact for my team, Delhi Daredevils," he added.

Jayant, who was dropped after India's surprise defeat to Australia in the opening Test in Pune, said he doesn't doubt his Test credentials, but is keen on improving his ability to bowl in different situations.

"When you rub shoulders with players like Ash (Ashwin), Jaddu (Jadeja) and Anil (Kumble) bhai, (it means) you have the skill, and that's why you are there. It's all about adapting to Test match cricket, getting the feel of it, getting to know about how to bowl in different situations, to different batsmen, at different times. Knowing and fulfilling your role in the Test team is also really important," he said.

"And that's what I have been working on with Ash and Anil bhai, including on different strategies for different players."

"In Test cricket, you cannot bowl the same way to, say, Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb, or to Matthew Wade and David Warner. So (I am) practising on that, and just working along those lines," he added.

The Zaheer Khan-led Daredevils will begin their IPL 2017 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

--IANS

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