Selectors believe Yuvraj Singh has what it takes to be at his best again

Amidst a moral and legal storm, a team had to be picked to represent India, to drag the cricket lover to the back page again. Largely, it wasn’t a difficult exercise. The batsmen and spinners picked themselves and selecting the fast bowlers was a bit like drawing names out of a hat. They were helped by the fact that the World T20 is in Dhaka where India’s limitations can be diluted a bit. A team for a T20 in South Africa would have been a search for options.

The really big question was whether or not to pick Yuvraj Singh. Before his unfortunate illness, he would have been the second name on the sheet after the captain. Sadly since then, while life has been a celebration, cricket hasn’t quite been the same and after losing his spot in the one-day side and having an ordinary Ranji Trophy season with Punjab, even his staunchest fans would have expected a debate over his selection.

There wouldn’t be a person in India who wouldn’t want to see Yuvraj at his best again. And the selectors have told him they believe he is up to it again because of the package he offers. As one of six batsmen, he has a bit of a cushion, in sub-continent conditions if he can give his captain even two overs every game it would be valuable and while he could never hope to become the fielder he was again, he has done very well to closely resemble the Yuvraj we knew. I feared he wouldn’t be picked but a big part of me is happy, even relieved because if he doesn’t make the World Cup team, this might be the last time we see him for India.

The only other batting choice seems to have been between Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu though I thought Dinesh Karthik was a very strong candidate… The fact that Rahane has been picked means the selectors are looking for cover for Rohit Sharma as the second opener. Rohit’s best performances in T20 have come as a finisher from number four and it would be very tempting to play him there. But that would mean a fight between Yuvraj and Suresh Raina for the last batting position and ideally Dhoni would want both since he can get a couple of overs out of each. Ironically it means Rayudu finds himself out in the format he is most effective in at the moment! Read more

Source: Cricket News in Hindi

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