Discarded allrounder Yuvraj Singh further dented his hopes of returning to the Indian national team after the left-handed batsman failed to convert the fine start he got against Mumbai Indians into a useful knock as Kings XI Punjab faced their second successive defeat on Friday. Against Mumbai, Yuvraj also registered an embarrassing record to his name which more-or-less reflects his subdued performances.
Yuvraj, who scored 14 runs from 14 balls, including a six, takes his overall strike rate of IPL 11 to 91.42 which is the worst for any player in the league who has faced at least 50 deliveries this season. From 7 matches that Yuvraj has featured in, the 36-year-old has scored a total of 64 runs at a poor average of 12.80.
Yuvraj, who had recently cleared the much-talked-about Yo-Yo fitness test before the start of the IPL season, has been looking to get into India’s limited overs squad but persistent fitness and form issues has only dented his hopes.
Though Yuvi has reasserted time and time again that he will not contemplate retirement before the 2019 World Cup, the sort of performances he has put in for the Kings XI so far, even his ardent fans aren’t sure if the southpaw is good enough for a place in the extremely competitive Indian national team.
With the plethora of youngsters including Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer are giving a clear message to Indian selectors, the Ongoing IPL is surely a last chance for Yuvraj Singh to convince everyone that he has still an valuable asset for Indian Cricket! Otherwise, time has come for him to gracefully retire.
