India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday shared a checklist for all young and budding cricketers who aspire to make it to the national team.“First and foremost, you look at talent. Then you look at the work ethic. You look at the characters in that dressing room, especially in red-ball cricket,” Gambhir told reporters.

“You look at what they bring to the table apart from the number of runs and wickets they have. I think how hungry they are matters a lot. And if you’ve got all those attributes, you will definitely have a successful Test career.”In the past year, the Indian team has undergone a transition across all formats under Gambhir’s coaching.Gambhir also pointed out that international cricket is an “insecure environment,” which is why he believes in giving players a longer run.“For me, giving them a longer run is very, very important because, as we all know, international cricket is a very insecure environment — only 15 players can represent the country, and there are so many waiting for their opportunity.“So make sure you first pick the right characters, and then, if you see that, try to give them a longer run so they feel content and happy that they’ve had enough chances, rather than just chopping and changing.”Gambhir personally dislikes the term “dropping” and admits he feels emotional whenever a deserving player misses out on a place in the national team.

“Sometimes it’s difficult as a head coach and a team management member because you will have to leave out players. I don’t like using the word ‘dropping’ players because you don’t drop players — you only select players.“When a player is left out, the least a coach can do is be empathetic, not ruthless.”