Indian selectors have decided it’s wise move to prepare the team for next world cup as MS Dhoni is the most senior player, instead of Yuvraj Singh.
When one talks about MS Dhoni, it’s safe to assume that the management would like to have his contribution till 2019. There are plenty of reasons behind persisting with Dhoni. First and foremost, lies in the ocean of experience under Dhoni’s belt. His advice to Virat Kohli during the crunch moments is priceless, so are his finishing skills upon striking form. To add to that, he still is the world’s safest wicketkeeper behind the stumps, and thereby, it makes sense to back Dhoni for 2019.
But, Yuvraj Singh case is rather strange!
Surprisingly, As a batsman, he has been more successful than Dhoni. since his comeback, in 11 games, Yuvraj averages a healthy 41.33 at a more than a decent strike rate of 98.67. To add to that, he also has won two Man of the Match awards this year. In hindsight, these numbers seem extremely healthy and indicate that the player should be backed for the long term horizon. But this is exactly where the confusion creeps in.
The issue with Yuvraj hasn’t been in his batting at all, but it’s been his speed in the outfield and fielding, a couple of aspects which were his biggest strengths in the first half of his career. Time and again, the veteran has looked lethargic in the outfield and his pace of running too has dropped down by a bit. In this rapidly developing era of the game, these signs aren’t treated as optimistic given how close games can eventually get.
Another woe for Yuvraj has been his handling of spin. While he dominated the slower bowlers for a majority of his career, the tale has been a little different now, with confusion taking over Yuvraj’s mind. His indecisiveness against spin and not knowing whether to attack or defend has caused some chaos in the middle order.
That’s why, selectors decided to move on. And most probably, India will never see one of its most beloved cricketer again in the blue jercy!
