Yuvraj's ODI recall a backwards step

[rkt.india]

Between his emotional return from cancer in late 2012 and a rain-affected no-result in Centurion in December 2013, Yuvraj Singh scored 278 ODI runs at 18.53, with two half-centuries and four ducks in 16 innings.

That run of form prompted the selectors to leave him out of India's ODI squad for the tour of New Zealand in early 2014. That, it seemed, was that, for the hero of India's 2011 World Cup.

 

Except it wasn't. Three years on, at 35, Yuvraj is back in the ODI squad, after a season of plenty in the Ranji Trophy: 672 runs in five matches, including scores of 260 and 177, at an average of 84.00.

It's a lovely story in some ways, another example of Yuvraj's determination to prove his days aren't done, and a selectorial call that reiterates the relevance of runs in first-class cricket. A BCCI source confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Yuvraj's domestic form convinced the selectors of both his fitness and hunger to play 50-overs cricket.

"There haven't been too many limited-overs domestic matches, and we all know Yuvraj is a brilliant one-day cricketer," the source said. "The issue is whether he is lasting that long, whether he is fit and fine, that is the only issue. And, he has proved with his performance: when somebody can get 260 or 170, that means the hunger is there."

Hunger, though, has never really been an issue with Yuvraj. Since being dropped from the ODI team, he has consistently scored runs and made big hundreds in domestic cricket. He averaged 55.91 in the 2014-15 Ranji season, scoring centuries in three successive matches, and while 2015-16 wasn't as productive, it brought him a 233-ball 187 against Gujarat. In the time he's spent out of the ODI squad, he's never made anyone doubt if he can last the duration of a first-class game or if he can still destroy first-class attacks.

The reason why India dropped Yuvraj in the first place was his ability against high-quality international bowling. It had never been in doubt - in limited-overs cricket, certainly - in his pomp, but the Yuvraj of 2012-13 never really looked at home against the very best. During an ODI series against Australia in 2013, he made 19 runs in four innings at 4.75, and was out three times to Mitchell Johnson, in three different ways - bounced out in Pune, nicked off in Mohali, and bowled by a full, straight inswinger in Nagpur. Each time, Yuvraj looked half a beat late on the ball.

While ignoring him in ODIs, the selectors continued picking Yuvraj for T20s. He played all of India's matches in the 2014 World T20, and would probably have done the same in 2016 had he not twisted his ankle while batting against Australia in Mohali. He struggled in both tournaments, as his strike rates - 98.03 in 2014 and exactly 100 in 2016 - would suggest, and it was a surprise that he was back in the 2016 squad after the ordeal he underwent in the 2014 final, and the undeserved lampooning that followed. That Yuvraj was still part of the T20 squad two years later was testament to his own self-belief and to selectorial wrong-headedness.

It's staggering, therefore, that he's back, again, and not just in the T20 squad but for the ODIs as well. Going back to Yuvraj would be a fair call if Indian cricket were struggling to produce young batsmen. That, though, is simply not the case.

Mandeep Singh, Yuvraj's Punjab team-mate, was part of India's last ODI squad, didn't get a game, and now finds himself left out. Karun Nair scored a triple-hundred in his last Test match, and is an IPL regular. As is Rishabh Pant, who is coming off a sensational Ranji season in which he scored 972 runs at an average of 81.00 and a strike rate of 107.28, with four hundreds including a triple. Shreyas Iyer averages over 50 and strikes at nearly 80 in first-class cricket.

Mandeep and Pant are part of the T20 squad, but as the chief selector himself confirmed, his panel picked a youthful T20 squad chiefly because there is no major tournament in the immediate future. The ODI situation is different, with a Champions Trophy five months away.

The selectors, in all probability, did not recognise the irony of choosing Yuvraj as the experienced batsman ahead of younger contenders. For it was in the Champions Trophy - then known as the ICC Knockouts - that Yuvraj made his debut. The tournament came nine months after the Under-19 World Cup of 2000, in which Yuvraj had been one of the leading lights of a triumphant Indian team.

He had done well enough in that tournament for the selectors to throw him into the deepest possible end - a world tournament. The current selection panel has picked a 35-year-old Yuvraj over a number of young contenders - some of whom, such as Mandeep and Pant, have played for India's Under-19s - when the stakes are not as high. The Champions Trophy may be on the horizon but India, for now, are only playing a bilateral series.

When he made that 84 against Australia in his first international innings, Yuvraj was still a couple of months shy of turning 19. Here's something to ponder: would the selectors responsible for picking him in 2017 have picked him in 2000?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2016-17/content/story/1075978.html

[StriKe]

Read my signature :D

[express bowling]

Yuvraj has not played any ODIs in the last 2 years

 

In T20s, he has a super-low  SR of  97  in the last 2 years  ( excluding minnows )  with an average of just 17.6

 

What does this say about his recent ability against international bowlers   ?

 

Career averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0	4s	6s
unfiltered	55	48	9	1134	77*	29.07	828	136.95	0	8	1	75	71	Profile
filtered	14	10	2	141	35	17.62	145	97.24	0	0	1	10	7

 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/36084.html?class=3;filter=advanced;opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=25;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=7;opposition=8;orderby=default;spanmax1=10+Jan+2017;spanmin1=10+Jan+2015;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

 

Edited January 10, 2017 by express bowling

[Ultimate_Game]

Same with Rahane and Dinda's selection in shorter formats.

[putrevus]

MS Dhoni And I Can Play Fearless Cricket Again, Says Yuvraj Singh

This is most ridiculous statement ever, so Mr Yuvraj did anyone stop both of you from playing fearless cricket recently or in the world T20 finals which you stunk up and were the main reason why India lost that match.

 

Yuvraj days are numbered he should be not in team.This hope of him recreating magic is not progressive thinking.

 

[sourab10forever]

Not good for Indian cricket in the long run but this move could prove a good one if your aim is at the CT2017. 

 

1. Kohli has trust in Yuvi.

2.Yuvi's Experience .

3.Yuvi's bowling.

4. No other reliable Middle order batsmen and no time to try out now given we have only 3 ODIs before the CT.

 

I would wait till I pass a judgement on this one. I am sort of hopefull at the moment.

[maniac]

4 minutes ago, sourab10forever said:

Not good for Indian cricket in the long run but this move could prove a good one if your aim is at the CT2017. 

 

1. Kohli has trust in Yuvi.

2.Yuvi's Experience .

3.Yuvi's bowling.

4. No other reliable Middle order batsmen and no time to try out now given we have only 3 ODIs before the CT.

 

I would wait till I pass a judgement on this one. I am sort of hopefull at the moment.

He is not a 20 year old youngster for people to be hopeful...he is in because of his past exploits and experience...if he doesn't go from game 1...that should be it

[putrevus]

He has become liability on the field and that is very bad.

[sourab10forever]

1 minute ago, maniac said:

He is not a 20 year old youngster for people to be hopeful...he is in because of his past exploits and experience...if he doesn't go from game 1...that should be it

Stupid post. As usual.

1. He played well in Ranji (so he is not in "only" because of his past exploits) + Indian team needs a  batting all-rounder and since Raina isn't a good option..They have gone with Yuvraj.

2. I clearly mentioned Short -term but you don't seem to understand English.

3.Why can't you have hope on a 30+ yrs old? It's a short term goal that I want him to achieve and I am hopefull that he will. Nothing wrong with it

[express bowling]

The main issue with Yuvraj's selection will be whether he has got back  his ability to hit quick bowlers.....something which he had from 2001 to 2011....but lost it after that.

 

As sourab pointed out, he has obviously been selected because there is not sufficient time to prepare a young gun in the middle order for CT 17 and Yuvi can bowl too..... but  the success of this plan will depend upon the aforementioned ability.  His success in Ranji does not prove that he has got this ability back as he has faced trundlers mostly.

Edited January 10, 2017 by express bowling

[maniac]

14 minutes ago, sourab10forever said:

Stupid post. As usual.

1. He played well in Ranji (so he is not in "only" because of his past exploits) + Indian team needs a  batting all-rounder and since Raina isn't a good option..They have gone with Yuvraj.

2. I clearly mentioned Short -term but you don't seem to understand English.

3.Why can't you have hope on a 30+ yrs old? It's a short term goal that I want him to achieve and I am hopefull that he will. Nothing wrong with it

Short term applies with likes of Dhoni who is still the best option as others are too raw. Not with Yuvraj. Care to explain the short-term upside of playing Yuvraj? His hitting ability is clearly on the down and there are potential hitters in domestics who might be on par with a declining Yuvi.

 

You are using your emotional judgement cloud your basic cricketing awareness

[jusarrived]

2 minutes ago, maniac said:

Short term applies with likes of Dhoni who is still the best option as others are too raw. Not with Yuvraj. Care to explain the short-term upside of playing Yuvraj? His hitting ability is clearly on the down and there are potential hitters in domestics who might be on par with a declining Yuvi.

 

You are using your emotional judgement cloud your basic cricketing awareness

We may have hitters , but not finishers . Am not in favour of bringing Yuvi back , but except for Sarfaraz i really do not see any potential replacements for Dhoni , Yuvi and Raina , thats three world class finishers .

[maniac]

1 minute ago, jusarrived said:

We may have hitters , but not finishers . Am not in favour of bringing Yuvi back , but except for Sarfaraz i really do not see any potential replacements for Dhoni , Yuvi and Raina , thats three world class finishers .

Glad you threw in Sarfaraz....only justification to have Yuvi over him.....and what is this finisher justification  with Yuvraj...this isn't 2008...He has been very poor in ODI's and T20's except for that one match where he smacked Ajmal around.

 

His fielding has been poor and also his bowling has lost sting from what I saw of him today.

 

[sandeep]

Unfortunately for Yuvi, the middle order consolidator slot has only one opening, and he's competing with Dhoni for that spot.  Even if he's not captain, Dhoni keeps wickets, and has that edge over Yuvi.  Yuvi has to make the #6 slot his own in order to extend his career.  In other words, he has to out-Raina Raina with a degree of consistency - play selfless cameos with 120+ SR down the order, and that too, as soon as he gets in - which nobody can do every single at-bat.  So he will play the rest of his career always teetering on the edge of oblivion.  

[maniac]

^One thing I can say for sure is Yuvraj is not selfish....even his 2014 final knock was not a selfish knock or neither was his Asia T20 knock against pak a gritty back to the wall knock....both were due to total decline in ability...just that the end result tagged the appropriate adjective.

 

[sandeep]

11 minutes ago, maniac said:

^One thing I can say for sure is Yuvraj is not selfish....even his 2014 final knock was not a selfish knock or neither was his Asia T20 knock against pak a gritty back to the wall knock....both were due to total decline in ability...just that the end result tagged the appropriate adjective.

 

Yeah, that's fair.  

[maniac]

Just now, sandeep said:

Yeah, that's fair.  

As always

 

[goose]

By far the classiest thing on display today.

[SecondSlip]

I was not in favor of recalling him back into the ODI squad and still have my doubts over him despite today's knock, but he played well so I will give credit to him. Well played Yuvi! 

Now, if Yuvraj does good in this series and is selected for the Champions Trophy, my main question regarding him would be: What number does he bat at? 

Rohit and Dhawan are fixed as our openers and rightly so. 
Kohli is untouchable and shouldn't even be mentioned. 
Dhoni will most likely bat at #5 which I feel is the best position for him. 

So basically, #4 and #6 are the only spots available to him.

Ideally you want KL Rahul to play and face as many deliveries as he can, so I would bat him at #4 for the Champions Trophy. But to get that privilege, KL will need to score well against England this series and not waste his chances like his Karnataka teammate Manish Pandey. Only then he will be a certainty in the champions trophy starting 11. 

So that leaves #6. Yuvraj will be competing with the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Suresh Raina for this spot. It's a shame that all 3 are over 30 and are short term options but that's the reality and we have to bear it for a while. Is the 2017 version of Yuvraj Singh good enough to bat at #6 in this day and age of ODI cricket where the player who bats at that crucial position is usually a game changer for his team? Can Yuvraj score quickfire half centuries which is needed from #6? Can Yuvraj provide the late order hitting that has been missing from our team for a long while now? Only time will tell! 

 

[BeautifulGame]

If Yuvi is in the team,the only position available is no.6.Regardless of what he has scored in Ranji,his issue in ODIs was that he just couldnt hit against fast bowlers.Scoring against Ranji teams wont prove that.Anyone remember the ODI series when Mitchel Johnson repeatedly owned him.It was painful to watch.

AlsoI dont understand this excuse that we dont have time to blood youngsters in time for CT hence has to stick with Yuvi.Thats absolute bull shit.This isnt world cup.We took a very young team to CT in 2013 and won it.Both Yuvi and Zaheer debuted in the champions trophy itself.So that excuse is nonsense.

 

Either way we have picked Yuvi,hopefully he can come good.