So, after two successive disappointments for team India in the ICC world T-20 and the tri-series in Zimbabwe, they now look forward to resurrect their pride and fortune in the forthcoming Asia cup, the biggest Asian battle for cricket supremacy, in the emerald islands Sri Lanka.
Going into the series, there has been a lot of talk about the inclusion and exclusion of some players. The selectors, rested most of the senior players for the tri-series in Zimbabwe, and presented a whole chunk of youngsters an opportunity to play for their country. Unfortunately, they didn’t do much to impress the selectors, as a result failed to keep their place in the Asia cup squad. But the one that stands out is the axing of Yuvraj Singh, which has drawn a lot of mixed reactions.
Yuvraj has been dogged with controversies and injuries over the past couple of months. It all started before the IPL, when the Kings X1 Punjab management decided to strip Yuvraj of the captaincy, and handed it over to the Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara. Since that occurrence, it’s only been a downward spiral as far his game is concerned. He failed to perform as a batsman for the Kings X1, scoring a mere 200 runs with a highest score of 43. He then, carried on his poor form with the bat in the ICC world T-20 where he was completely out of sorts and was in total disarray. Matters only got worse from there for Yuvraj, as he was issued a show-cause notice by the BCCI for an alleged pub brawl in St Lucia following India’s exit from the T-20 world cup. And to add insult to injury, he was even overlooked for the tri-series in Zimbabwe. So, with all that’s transpired with Yuvraj over the last few months, it certainly won’t be an overstatement to say that this has certainly been the lowest phase in his career thus far.
It surely, wouldn’t have been an easy decision for the selectors to ignore Yuvraj, who not very long ago was one of the main pillars of the Indian batting line-up in limited overs cricket. Yes it’s a very bold decision to sideline a player of Yuvraj’s caliber, but it’s probably the correct decision taken at the appropriate time, considering the 50 over world cup which is not very distant.
"I'm not going to speak about any individual player," said the chairman of selectors, K Srikkanth. "A lot of stress was given on the fitness of a player. Fitness and fielding are very important. In recent past, we lost some matches or struggled in some matches because of poor fielding. So the selectors put lot of stress on fielding."
The decision to drop Yuvraj was openly questioned by former selector Kiran More, who said "You can always send a message to Yuvraj,"sit on the bench. You'll be in the reserves, we are playing somebody else but be part of the team, get your fitness right, get your act right and get disciplined also.' That would give him more encouragement. But only one player has been pointed out, and they've dropped him from the Asia Cup. They are making a mistake, if the world cup is so close by I will not fiddle with the team. I will not drop Yuvraj from the fifteen,”
But one has to also, consider Yuvraj’s poor run of form lately. In the last 11 ODIs, Yuvraj has averaged just 24.7, and has only managed to score a best of 43 in the 14 IPL games. His last 5 innings in the world t-20 has only yielded 74 runs, with a highest of 37.
So, the message sent out to Yuvraj from the selectors is quite clear. Sort out the fitness issues, and be eligible for the national reckoning.
Now then, Yuvraj has his work cut out, he has been plagued with several injuries over quite some time. He now has a dodgy shoulder and knee, the latter needs surgery, which he has been putting off since the year 2006. He suffered a wrist injury during the IPL, which deprived him of a good show. The injuries have also, prevented him from field at backward point position, which he made his own in the Indian team and was simply electrifying there.
But, one gets a feeling that apart from the injuries there are a lot of other activities which have led to his downfall. One thing that straightaway comes to mind is his removal from the captaincy post by the Kings X1 management. This event may have been a huge psychological blow for Yuvraj. Because historically, Yuvraj has performed incredibly well, when he has had his brain in proper gear. And such happenings are bound to affect his mind and eventually will show in his game. Also, the late night IPL parties might have been a distraction for Yuvraj, yes these parties are optional to the players, but Yuvraj is very much vulnerable to such parties, which can hamper his progress in the game.
From now on, it’s not Yuvraj’s talent or skill, but it will be his attitude and application that will determine how much cricket he plays. Perhaps, a self-assessment is much needed for him at this stage. He needs to make sure that cricket again takes top precedence over everything in his life. He needs to challenge himself and take things very positively, because, there is no questioning his ability with the bat. When On song there are very few who can match his standards of batting.
And then he has all the support of his team mates, The Indian captain MS Dhoni has said “ I am a fan of Yuvraj. He is a tremendous batsman and a match winner. Hopefully, we will not miss him in Sri Lanka. But, being the kind of player he is, we might be forced to miss him,”
Whereas, Virender Sehwag has openly said out in public that “I am a big fan of Yuvraj, he is the Jewel of our team,”
Former Indian cricketer and coach Madan Lal said “I think the selectors have taken the right call, the main concern with Yuvraj was his fitness more than his form. This is a much needed break for him, as this will give him more time to reflect on his game. I feel he should be brought back into the squad for the test match series against Sri Lanka, because it will allow him to play himself and get amongst the runs. I strongly feel that Yuvraj will make it to the world cup team if he stays fit,”
Former Indian cricketer and coach Anushuman Gaikwad said “Yuvraj is a proven match winner for the team. But of late he has not been performing to his potential. He has been troubled by frequent injuries, and has been out of form. I believe that the selectors should have picked him to play the tri-series in Zimbabwe, which would have allowed Yuvraj to get amongst the runs. As far as his comeback is concerned he should show the selectors that he is truly match fit,
Meanwhile senior journalist Ayaz Memon said “I think the selectors were on the back foot. Yuvraj has had a string of poor performances, he has been suffering the ill effects of injury. He should take this as a challenge, and improve on his fitness. He has already visited the NCA to get his issues sorted which is a good sign. Yuvraj should look at the bigger picture now, the 50 over world cup. He should not rush himself until he is fully fit,”
The above article was published in the July edition of Cricket Today magazine.
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