"You might not get picked when you're at your peak and people forget you" - Aditya Tare's realistic opinion on India dream

Like any other cricketer who has achieved success in domestic cricket, former Mumbai captain Aditya Tare's ultimate goal is to play Test cricket for the Indian team. The 34-year-old has won the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai as captain and has been a crucial part of their team over the years.

Moving on to Uttarakhand ahead of next season, Aditya Tare is pretty practical and realistic about his chances of getting an India cap. There was a lot of talk recently about some domestic players getting ignored for the India A squad despite their terrific performances.

Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Aditya Tare opened up on how fierce the competition for selection spots in the Indian team is and how difficult it gets with the amount of talent in Indian domestic cricket. He said:

"Look, selection in Indian team is very difficult. Can you imagine, there are about 38 first-class teams in the county with each having 15-20 players? Then there are again 15-20 players in the Indian team. Ability-wise, many of them are similar, but there are a lot of factors that come into play."

He added:

"Sometimes you are picked at the right time in your career, while sometimes you might not be picked when you're at your peak and later people forget about you. So these things happen and you need a bit of luck to go your way so that you're picked at the right time. Of course it is a dream to play Test cricket for India and I will do whatever there is in my capacity to push my limits."

Aditya Tare on his IPL career

For any ardent Mumbai Indians (MI) fan, the moment when Aditya Tare smashed a last-gasp six to help them qualify for the IPL playoffs in 2014 is one memory that will never fade away. His iconic celebration is still talked about as one of the best moments in IPL history.

However, since that magical night, he has played just 12 IPL games, which goes on to show the lack of opportunities he has received for whichever team he has played.

Speaking about what could have been had he got consistent chances, Tare stated:

"Of course it was tough because for almost 12 seasons I was a part of some or the other IPL franchise, but I didn't get a consistent run of games, except the one in 2014 with Mumbai Indians. For my last 3-4 seasons with MI, I didn't get even a single game."

He added:

"So although you are a part of an IPL franchise, you aren't playing and so none of the other teams can see much and it is difficult for them to pick you up in the auction. I did learn a lot in my IPL career and it helped me improve my game. But had I got those consistent chances, I would have been a better IPL player. But it's unfortunate as it is not in my hands. I did everything possible within my limits to get those opportunities."

Aditya Tare still has a few years left in him and with age just being a number, the veteran wicketkeeper can still have a good IPL career if he shines in his stint with Uttarakhand.