Yuvraj Singh shouldn't relax, but be more consistent now
The old Yuvraj Singh is back. Known for his ability to hit the ball out of the ground at will, Yuvi gave fans a lot to cheer when he bludgeoned his way to 123 against the West Indies A.
Yuvraj struck seven sixes during his knock. But more than that, it reinforced the faith of fans that Yuvi still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket.
The man, who smashed six sixes in an over off England pacer Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup, has proved wrong his detractors, albeit momentarily, who doubted his ability to rise above the ranks post his successful battle against cancer.
But the war has just started for Yuvraj because he not only has to fight his indifferent form of late, but also compete with youngsters who have done well in recent times for Team India, to claim a place in the national team.
Indian ODI line-up looks well-settled with Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja giving solidity to the middle-order, while Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli adding stability to the top-order.
However, the immensely talented Yuvraj Singh is hard to be ignored if he has enough runs under his belt to merit a place in the playing XI.
It’s a catch-22 situation and selection blues for Dhoni as Yuvraj provides an all-round package that could be detrimental to the fate of Team India.
Yuvi, if on form, can win matches just as a batsman, bowler or fielder. And when all his skills come to the party together, it can be one hell of a ride for the opposition team.
Recently, the Indian ODI team has done well with youngsters justifying their place in the playing XI. India has bagged three consecutive limited overs title and that too in the absence of its star players.
Now, only consistent scores can bring Yuvi back into the national team and once he gets an opportunity, he must cash in as other promising and younger players will be vying for his spot to prove their mettle at the international stage.
Indian cricket seems to be headed in the right direction as its reserve bench looks solid what with the likes of proven and tested players such as Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag looking to make a comeback into the national team.
The horse for courses policy should be persisted by selectors as it throws the message clearly to players that only performances will matter, while reputation will take a backseat.
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