What the heck was an injured Yuvraj Singh doing limping around in the middle?

[Stuge]

Should an injured Yuvraj Singh have been allowed to continue batting, particularly as his presence at the crease was harming the team’s interest? Who should have taken a call on his retiring from the crease? Was the onus on him or on the captain? These are issues that need to be addressed after an injured Yuvraj’s farcical running between the wickets almost cost India their match against Australia and more importantly a berth in the last four of the ICC World T20 Championship.

Yuvraj Singh grimaces in pain during the World T20 match against Australia on Sunday. Solaris Images

The facts of the case are simple: Yuvraj was on 5 in a score of 54 for 3 from 8.2 overs when he hopped on to the back foot to handle a short-pitched delivery. On coming down, he twisted his ankle so badly that he struggled to run between the wickets for the remainder of his innings.

Precious two runs were turned down often as he settled for a mere single. On one occasion, with Virat Kohli pressing for a third run, Yuvraj declined by simply turning his back on him.

Twice the physio had to come on to the pitch and administer first aid but there was no improvement in Yuvraj’s running between the wickets. It remained painfully counterproductive to team India’s cause.

Yuvraj who was on five from two balls at the time of injury was finally dismissed for a personal score of 21 from 18 balls. In his last 16 balls he had made less than a run-a-ball. During his injured phase at the wicket the Indian scoreboard had lumbered along to add 39 runs from 5.4 overs. In comparison, immediately after his dismissal, Kohli and skipper MS Dhoni added a hectic 67 runs in 5.1 overs to take the team home.

The sad fact is, had the injured Yuvraj not got out when he did, and had he continued to bat for another over or two, it is certain that India would have lost the match. The longer he stayed at the wicket the more damage he was doing to India’s chances of winning the crucial match.

Thus would it not have been prudent for him to retire earlier, say in the 11th or 12th over and give the fitter and sharper Dhoni, Hardik Pandya or Ravinra Jadeja a shot at scampering between the wickets with Kohli? Shouldn’t he have retired for the greater glory of the team and keeping its interests in mind?

A few years ago, in a similar situation, he could have utilised the services of a runner. But in 2011 the ICC prohibited a runner for an injured batsman. He could either continue batting or retire and come back later at the fall of a wicket.

However, the game's laws have never been clear on who should take a call on withdrawing the batsman from the crease. To leave it to the batsman would be unfair to him and the team. If he pulls out early he could be accused of chickening out of a tough situation and he’d never live down that stigma. If he continued batting he could be accused of being selfish and unmindful of the team’s interests.

 

 

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/icc-world-t20-what-the-heck-was-an-injured-yuvraj-singh-doing-limping-around-in-the-middle-2698528.html

[kosingh]

No way he should have retired.  3-4 overs of stability were needed after the "amazingness" of Dhawan, Rohit and Raina. Yuvi provided that nicely. Once things were stabilized a bit, it was important for Yuvi to go for the big hits or perish. Pretty much how he played it. Perfect platform was set for Dhoni and Kohli to finish things. 

[Stuge]

No way he should have retired.  3-4 overs of stability were needed after the "amazingness" of Dhawan, Rohit and Raina. Yuvi provided that nicely. Once things were stabilized a bit, it was important for Yuvi to go for the big hits or perish. Pretty much how he played it. Perfect platform was set for Dhoni and Kohli to finish things. 

His running was hampered badly .No one can deny that.

Infact ,Even kohli agreed that it was tough

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

[Bigg Brother]

He played his part yesterday....He got out at the right time.

Some consolidation was necessary.Atleast it was run a ball innings and spend some time unlike Raina..Raina also could have stayed longer keeping in mind that there is leg spinner in opposite team.

[Lannister]

Some very sensible comments in that article. At least Yuvi had a sense to bat around Kohli by giving him the strike regularly, which the other 3 players have failed miserably. 

[chewy]

Yuvraj's batting did nearly cost us the game with his arrogance and ego not wanting to retire infront of home ground.

Not only his running was hampered but was hack with bat he has been last few months. 

Out of Rohit, Dhawan, Raina, and Yuvraj, dropping a unfit or fit Yuvraj is the way forward in next two games.  

No two ways about yesterday, Kohli's played a special innings yesterday, with excellent support from Dhoni. 

[asterix]

Whether UV provided stability or not, jury is still out... IMO, Dhoni coming up the order yesterday would've reduced pressure on Kohli...

You've to understand how Kohli builds up a chasing innings.

He excels in quick singles and doubles and then occasional bad ball boundaries... If he gets a partner who not only wastes balls, unable to hit boundaries, denying cheeky singles and doubles, he gets frustrated and tries to take risks...

But the captain and management are hell bent in saving the careers of their favourite overhyped players and have taken Kohli as granted...

Sashtri was hugging that Nohit after the match and backs him... Raina needs to be promoted by Dhoni as he's his favourite. Dhoni wants Raina to get maximum batting exposure so that his career afloat...

UV has his own issues and is busy sorting them out, doesn't cares about anybody, that's how he is...

[fineleg]

Why could they not get him a runner (or "by-runner") as we call it?

"he could have utilised the services of a runner. But in 2011 the ICC prohibited a runner for an injured batsman"

injury happened in match progression....so why not???

Edited March 28, 2016 by fineleg

[fineleg]

Ok looking into references:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/520924.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/521356.html

[kruiser]

6 minutes ago, fineleg said:

Why could they not get him a runner (or "by-runner") as we call it?

"he could have utilised the services of a runner. But in 2011 the ICC prohibited a runner for an injured batsman"

injury happened in match progression....so why not???

If you are injured, don't bat. Get retired hurt. And I agree with this rule from ICC, otherwise everyone was abusing the runner privilege.

[fineleg]

gavaskar: Sometimes batsmen take undue advantage of a runner but at times they are injured and genuinely need it.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ban-on-runners-is-unfair/1/222844.html

Last year the ICC technical committee, in its deliberations, decided that a runner would not be allowed for a batsman.

That decision was no doubt prompted to a great extent by batsmen, who were tiring, but did not wish to retire and thus lose out on momentum, asking for runners, so that they could simply bat and let some other person with fresh, and perhaps younger, legs do the running for them.

There had been the instance earlier when Andrew Strauss, the England skipper, who had refused a runner to his South Africa counterpart Graeme Smith, since the latter was cramping up and couldn't run. His reasoning was that a cramp was not an injury, but a fitness issue and so Smith did not deserve a runner.

There was a bit of huffing and puffing about that in the media of both countries and understandably the stance taken was different by different people.

Strauss was correct as cramps should not be a reason for allowing a runner, but then Smith could well have pretended that it was a muscle injury and he would then be allowed a runner. That Smith was honest enough to admit that he was suffering cramps didn't help his cause, but it showed how in modern day cricket, it does not always pay to be honest and maybe that is the reason why players leave it to the umpires to make the call when an appeal is made for a dismissal, even though they may know they were out or not out.

The ICC'S decision to ban runners did make a lot of people sit up because there was no simultaneous balance for bowlers going off the field with an 'injury'. Now lots of players in the game know that bowlers often take off just to rest up a bit or have a rub down or a refreshing shower, or even a dip in the ice bath and then come back to bowl relatively 'new'.

In limited-overs cricket, many teams have used the strategy of finishing some of their bowlers' quotas and then sending them off the field so that a quicker substitute fielder can come in for the last few overs and save crucial runs that can make the difference between winning and losing. This is one of the anomalies of the laws of the game and while some will argue that since most cricket laws are made to suit batsmen, there should be at least some that favour the bowlers.

There will always be people who will try and take advantage of the laws and bend them as much as possible and cricket captains are no different. That is the reason why we have seen in the ICC Twenty 20 that some bowlers who have finished their quota of overs have gone back to the dug-out, and a younger, more agile fielder comes in to substitute for him, and save a few runs. This is something that the ICC needs to take a close look at.

The umpires on the field are busy trying to control the game and in any case they are not doctors, so if a bowler says that he has got a pulled muscle or something, they are not going to stop the player from going off to have his injury attended to. This is where the rule banning runners for batsmen looks unfair for they could be having a genuine injury for which they don't get subs, but bowlers get one even if they are just going for a change of a sweaty shirt.
 

[beetle]

He stayed a little long ...should have got out trying hitting big ,at least one over earlier.

Dhoni mentioned in the PC that because of the second runs not taken during their times...the asking rate got higher .

[zen]

What's the news on Yuvi's injury? Is he getting replaced in the squad? (Or more precisely - is Panday coming in?!) 

[Ranjha]

This has to be the worst article ever but not unexpected from armchair critic with 0 knowledge of the game...if Yuvraj didn't stood his ground there , it could have very well opened the floodgates.. Virat clearly said that Yuvraj decided when it  was time to go out hitting and perished doing so and it was a great thought and call by him

Edited March 28, 2016 by Ranjha

[Ranjha]

52 minutes ago, rett said:

What's the news on Yuvi's injury? Is he getting replaced in the squad? (Or more precisely - is Panday coming in?!) 

Hope not....really hope yuvi is fit 

[Ranjha]

56 minutes ago, radhika said:

He stayed a little long ...should have got out trying hitting big ,at least one over earlier.

Dhoni mentioned in the PC that because of the second runs not taken during their times...the asking rate got higher .

Listen to what Virat said..

[Ultimate_Game]

I heard a rumor earlier today that Yuvraj has not been healing quickly enough and had been ruled out of the WT20, and that the Indian management is asking for Manish Pandey as Yuvraj's replacement. Can anybody confirm this news?

[Ranjha]

7 hours ago, asterix said:

 

UV has his own issues and is busy sorting them out, doesn't cares about anybody, that's how he is...

 

Really stupid post..no one knew that Yuvi will get injured off the second ball when he was sent out,.otherwise he won't be running slow...Australia were looking at 20..his bowling really put the brakes on...then he decided to hit out at the right time as Virat said and perished doing so✨

[Ranjha]

8 hours ago, chewy said:

Yuvraj's batting did nearly cost us the game with his arrogance and ego not wanting to retire infront of home ground.

Not only his running was hampered but was hack with bat he has been last few months. 

Out of Rohit, Dhawan, Raina, and Yuvraj, dropping a unfit or fit Yuvraj is the way forward in next two games.  

No two ways about yesterday, Kohli's played a special innings yesterday, with excellent support from Dhoni. 

As rashid Latif said, Yuvraj innings was a important factor in Indias win besides the one man show of Kohli..if he would have got out then , it would have opened the floodgates..2 matches in this tourney , he has played an ok support as bat..better than any other bat ..Kohli not included obviously..

 

 

his bowling  saved us runs yesterday too.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Ranjha

[Texan]

He should nt have retired but he should have tried to be more aggressive and hit boundaries. As it is, run rate required was high. Yuvraj was struggling to run. Batsman like Dhoni waiting in the wings. The most sensible thing to do would have been to try and fearlessly play some aggressive shots. Too bad he didnt do that. That we won because Kohli kept his calm is a different matter altogether. But as the article rightly pointed out,we would have lost if he would have stayed for a few more overs.