'Yuvraj lacks fight, not just form'; should he be given another chance?

[Mr. Wicket]

Most of India's cricketers took just a few days to get over their jet lag. Not Yuvraj Singh who, by the looks of it, has sleepwalked through the first half of the Test series. India began the tour trying to accommodate Yuvraj in the middle order. Five innings on and they've seen the move blow up in their faces. Yuvraj has nothing in the two Tests to suggest he deserves a spot. More importantly, he seems in a daze. Other batsmen have struggled for runs, too, but they've shown the desire to grind it out. Yuvraj just seems in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's disappointing, simply because of the destructive form he's been in of late. A whole batting line-up was switched around to accommodate him, the best No. 3 was asked to open. Yuvraj, who had played 20 Tests in his seven-year international career, has waited for this chance all along. He has spoken about the frustrations of sitting on the sidelines and made no bones about Test cricket being his priority. He couldn't have hoped for a better chance, against the best side in their backyard. Now, sadly, he's botched it. Yuvraj's mental state can be gauged from his fielding. He is supposed to be the team's best fielder but, going by his body language in Melbourne and Sydney, has often been an embarrassment. Normally he's a livewire at point - sliding and stopping the singles - but he's looked disconnected so far. There's also the small matter of an ever-enlarging paunch. To say he is lost would be an understatement. Rahul Dravid hasn't been in the greatest of form, nor have Wasim Jaffer or Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But each has done his bit to provide some confidence. Dravid gutsed it out in an agonising knock in the first innings in Sydney before finding some rhythm in the second dig. Dhoni fought hard when India were trying to save the match on the final afternoon and Jaffer made the most of a weak bowling attack on the first day in Canberra. Yuvraj has been too casual, whether it's wafting outside off stump to the metronomic Stuart Clark, or playing back to a flipper from Brad Hogg, or even jabbing at a slightly wide one from Andrew Symonds when India were battling for a draw. Barring Brett Lee's full, swinging delivery in Sydney, he hasn't got out to a great ball. Even that was a classic set up: short, short and full. He has paid for meeting the ball on the move, unlike in Bangalore, where he was assured with his footwork. Some experts have suggested his head isn't still, others have spotted him not taking his initial movement forward, probably fearing the short ball on Australian pitches. All things considered, he's a far better batsman than his scores (0,5,12,0) suggest. On Thursday, against the ACT Invitational XI bowlers - who might struggle to make a top Ranji Trophy side - he threw it away again. Here was a chance to finally find some form, to hang around and spend some time in the middle. He couldn't have asked for a better time to walk in: India were well set at 210 for 3. He began by cautiously playing out three balls from left-arm spinner Mark Higgs before hanging on for two more balls before tea. After the break he handled a full over from medium-pacer Richard Sherlock before facing up to the left-arm seamer Ash Perera. Faced with one that was slightly short of a length, he responded with a tame waft to gully, slicing the ball without control. The impression he's made on this trip brings back memories of the tour to West Indies in 2006. He was in the side for the injured Sachin Tendulkar and hardly made an impact in the four Tests. Barring the final Test in Jamaica, the Tests were played on good batting tracks against a largely toothless attack. In a series where five Indian batsmen made hundreds he managed 23, 39, 2, 0, 8 not out, 19, and 13. What now for Yuvraj? The team no doubt will be wary of including him again, especially given the bouncy reputation of the WACA in Perth. But Yuvraj can first begin by showing the desire. He still has another chance in this game but he can start by bringing his tigerish self on to the field on Friday. He has often galvanised the one-day side with his electric exploits and a more eager approach would only provide the team some confidence. He might do well, too, to heed Rahul Dravid's advice. "I don't think it should play on his mind," Dravid said when asked if Yuvraj would be under pressure knowing that the rest have done their bit to accommodate him in the side. "Two Test matches back he got a brilliant hundred. He's got to look at that, the successes he's had in one-day cricket over the last 6-8 months and see them as positives. He should not just look at the poor cores on this tour. You've got to be positive and trust yourself. He's got another hit in this game and it could be the one that helps him turn the corner." He was seen having a long chat with Sachin Tendulkar in the pre-match nets yesterday. It appeared as if they were discussing Yuvraj's head position, with Tendulkar asking him to keep it still. A talk with Sourav Ganguly, the captain who brought the best out of him, would help too. One innings could well turn the corner. That may bring him runs but, more importantly, he needs to find the biggest requisite for cutting it at the Test level: desire. © Cricinfo

[fineleg]

YS will sleepwalk out of the Test squad back to only ODIs and 2020

[cricket my love]

He has too much pressure to perform, otherwise he is out. This issue is bugging him and he is not in his normal state of mind. He can only shine if you would put in the line up without the likes of Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly, at the moment along with these players, he is pushing too hard to perform.

[Mr. Wicket]

He has too much pressure to perform, otherwise he is out. This issue is bugging him and he is not in his normal state of mind. He can only shine if you would put in the line up without the likes of Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly, at the moment along with these players, he is pushing too hard to perform.

Wow. So other players are under NO pressure to perform then? What rubbish. Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman and co. are all under immense pressure to perform every game. And they do. Players at test level should always expect pressure from all fronts - fans' expectations, the media, the opposition, their own teammates fighting for a berth. If they can't handle it, that says plenty about them. If he can only perform without the likes of SRT, Dravid and Ganguly, send him back to Punjab and let him make runs for them.

[cricket my love]

Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman and co. are all under immense pressure to perform every game. And they do.

All these players are established players and have their name in test cricket. Because of in and out of the test team, Yuvy has become a basket case. In my opinion, he is still better player than Ganguly.

[DesiChap]

He has too much pressure to perform, otherwise he is out. This issue is bugging him and he is not in his normal state of mind. He can only shine if you would put in the line up without the likes of Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly, at the moment along with these players, he is pushing too hard to perform.

Wow what a logic. If he cannot perform playing whe has to be booted out plain and simple.

[fineleg]

Wow what a logic. If he cannot perform playing whe has to be booted out plain and simple.

Yes, all excuses made up to prop YS. He either performs and stays, otherwise he'll be dropped.

[Chandan]

All these players are established players and have their name in test cricket. Because of in and out of the test team' date=' Yuvy has become a basket case. In my opinion, he is still better player than Ganguly.[/quote'] If he is a better test player than Ganguly then why isn't he performing? Wasn't Ganguly under immense pressure after being called back to the test squad in SA? He responded by being the highest scorer for India on that tour and has never looked back since then. And were these players at the same stage at which Yuvraj is right now, before getting established? They didn't even have the exposure courtesy ODI then? How did they establish themselves then?

[hemang_20jan]

very good nice jordaar

[King]

I guess with Yuvi he takes things for granted. I've seen him fail often to mediocre deliveries. Intensity is what is missing in his batting. It is impossible to keep going for strokes for every other ball and survive test cricket. Test cricket is all about shot selection and patience. He's got the class and all the strokes in the book. The application in the longer version of the game is missing. Sure you can be very aggressive when there is a need but at times you have to show a bit more patience. His knock against Pakistan when chips were down was great but a similar approach cannot work in every test match though. I think he needs few more knocks to figure that out.

[Bumper]

None of his 4 dismissals could be attributable to superior deliveries. In ODIs, he'd have towered over the same bowlers. Yuvraj's got the ability. But he's mentally all shambles. He seems too consumed at times about succeeding, other times he simply appears to be going thru the motions (as a fielder esp). Someone needs to talks to him. He's better than what his 4 innings suggest. He gets one last chance to make an impression (in the 2nd inns vs Canberra). If he gets out without a fight, his test career could be over in the short term.

[gator]

Yuvi needs to go out with all guns blazing..... he needs to bring his swagger bak.... when he is tentative and tries to play like RD, he fails... his counterattack against pakistan when we were 61/4 was brilliant cos he went out wanting to dominate.... thts wen he is at his best.... he needs to give a fack and go out there in perth.... my gut feeling says he will succeed...

[Willow_on_fire]

Yuvi needs to go out with all guns blazing..... he needs to bring his swagger bak.... when he is tentative and tries to play like RD, he fails... his counterattack against pakistan when we were 61/4 was brilliant cos he went out wanting to dominate.... thts wen he is at his best.... he needs to give a fack and go out there in perth.... my gut feeling says he will succeed...

So true bro...Yuvi's best play is counter attack...hopefully he comes good in future.

[DesiChap]

Sachin's advice for Yuvraj Sharp Single Sachin’s advice for Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh has been asked to bowl in order to improve his batting and he takes this advice rather seriously as it comes from none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin spent a great deal of time in the nets with the left-hander before the start of the three-day game in order to put the exciting stroke-player back on track. Yuvraj has been an utter failure in the series so far, struggling to last a dozen deliveries, and Sachin believed his advice to the princely left-hander can no longer wait. Sachin wanted Yuvraj to bowl a fair deal in the nets and in side games in order to gauge the bounce on Australian pitches. The Punjab batsman has been advised not to go for his shots as soon as he comes to the crease on these wickets. Sachin cited the example of his unbeaten 154 in Sydney where he did not go for hook or pull shots even when he was in his 90s. “At least, don’t go for your horizontal shots till you are truly in,” Sachin is believed to have told Yuvraj. Aussies play fair, insists Marsh Amid mounting criticism of the Australian team’s alleged lack of sportsmanship, the country’s players association chief Paul Marsh defended the world champions on Friday claiming they were second to none in fair play. Marsh said Test cricket was a tough game and the Australians tested their opponents in terms of their skills as well as physical and mental toughness. “Test cricket is not tiddlywinks. It is a true test of not only a player's skills but their mental and physical toughness,” he said. “These are traits that Australia as a nation has been built upon,” he asserted. “The Australian cricket team plays the game hard but fair. They test their opponents in all three of the above areas, but rarely nowadays cross the line,” he said. Marsh said he was taken aback by the criticism as he felt the players did not deserve the harsh verbal lashing. Madugalle confident The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) “peacemaker”, Ranjan Madugalle, is confident he can restore order to the Australia-India Test series following the damaging Bollyline saga. Madugalle is due to arrive in Perth on Saturday, and will likely meet warring captains Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble the following day. Speaking to an Australian daily from Colombo, Madugalle said his previous dealings with Ponting and Kumble had led him to believe both were reasonable men, well capable of reaching an amicable arrangement to end the damaging feud between their two teams. “I have an open briefing to get things back on track. I will try and go about things quietly and do as much as I can without making too much noise about it. We’ll see at the end of the five days if it has worked, but I am optimistic that everyone wants to do the right thing.” Ponting last night appeared on an Australian television for the second time in a week, this time promoting a message of reconciliation. “I’ll go out of my way to make sure it (reconciliation) happens,” Ponting said. “We’ll have a chat to ensure a better game of cricket… for audiences around the world.” Roebuck picks Katich Simon Katich is the man to captain the Australian team in the event of any further calamities befalling the national side. It is not that the selectors lack alternatives or are obliged to choose their leader from within the squad chosen for the Perth Test match. Some of the players will retire soon and the opportunity will arise to chart a different course. Everything depends on the response of the players in the next few weeks. It is not that they need to placate a single cranky reporter. They need to reassure the Australian public that they mean to represent the country not only with skill and dedication, but also with grace. It has been missing. It is not so long ago that a distinguished politician was unceremoniously pushed off a podium.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080112/jsp/sports/story_8773424.jsp

[SachDan]

“At least, don’t go for your horizontal shots till you are truly in,” Sachin is believed to have told Yuvraj. and what he did at canteberra? hum toh nahin sudherega!

[Guest dada_rocks]

century for yuvi in perth

[SachDan]

If he's in the playing X1!!

[Rohan495]

Mistake of the Series: Bringing Yuvraj singh in Ruined the Chemistry of the team. Forced Dravid to open. Left out Sehwag.

[DesiChap]

None bigger than allowing the blind bat Bucknor and "Benson and Edges" to officiate. Those guys should NEVER ever be allowed to umpire an India game.

[Mandrake]

Well Yuvraj flattered to deceive as usual....so much for not getting enough test caps....