Paul Valthaty has done his reputation no harm in the IPL, but he has more to do before he can get a call-up to the Mumbai Ranji team, Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer has said
ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2011Paul Valthaty has done his reputation no harm in the IPL, but he has more to do before he can get a call-up to the Mumbai Ranji team, Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer has said.”This performance [in the IPL] will help him. He has made those runs against quality bowling and I’m sure the selectors will keep that in mind,” Jaffer told the . “However, you can’t judge someone for first-class cricket based on performance in Twenty20 games.”It’s a different format. He has to do well in tournaments like the Times Shield [in which Valthaty plays for Air India] and prove himself.”Labelling Valthaty ‘talented’, Jaffer said the injury he suffered below his eye during the Under-19 World Cup in 2002 and inconsistency have set him back. “He was a good cricketer at the U-19 level. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and then had a few lean years, when he was in and out of Mumbai teams.”He has always played the odd remarkable innings in the Times Shield, but then would have a lean run. He was very inconsistent. However, with age people do mature and he has become better.”Valthaty grabbed the national spotlight by powering Kings XI Punjab home in a big chase against Chennai Super Kings with a blistering century on April 13. Since then, he has been trading places at the top of the IPL’s leading run-scorers’ table. However, he hasn’t played first-class cricket and has represnted Mumbai in one List A game.Jaffer – who played his last international match in April 2008 and has had a good run in the 2010-2011 Ranji Trophy averaging 80.88 – also said he is “hopeful” of breaking into India’s Test team, should the seniors choose to take a break during the tour of West Indies this summer.