Why does Yuvraj get so many chances in test match cricket

[Rohan495]

I dont quite understand the logic behind Yuvraj holding a guaranteed test spot, he has done very little. I can find ten domestic cricketers who deserve a chance to play test cricket.

[Zero_Unit]

it's true! his defense is really bad ... the only thing he knows is to hit the ball out of the park (even though its exciting) ... so who will take his place then? BTW before bashing yuvi out of test, maybe we should consider our first canditate to be kartik -_- ...

[achilles]

This is why-

Our batsmen are really smart. They play crap cricket for a few matches and the moment they realize they are on the verge of being dropped, they'll hit a 50 and save their spot, only to give some more ridiculous performances and score a 50 again and save their spot. The thing is, the team management can't immediately drop a player if he scores a 50 or something, despite having a poor run. And the oversmartness of some players of the present squad hurts the chances of youngsters to get a game :((

[IKnowU]

This is why-

Quote by achilles Our batsmen are really smart. They play crap cricket for a few matches and the moment they realize they are on the verge of being dropped, they'll hit a 50 and save their spot, only to give some more ridiculous performances and score a 50 again and save their spot. The thing is, the team management can't immediately drop a player if he scores a 50 or something, despite having a poor run. And the oversmartness of some players of the present squad hurts the chances of youngsters to get a game Amen for the next 100 years :hysterical:

[bharat297]

Agree 100%. I think Murali Vijay, Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, etc. all deserve a chance over Yuvraj Singh. His fielding isnt that great anymore either so I dont really know what he brings to the team. So far in Tests, he has performed against Pakistan ... that is all. He has pretty much failed against most major teams he's played. The worst part about all of it is that he still gets out to the same type of deliveries he was 5 years ago. He is a good player on a flat track and/or weak opposition but as soon as there is life in the pitch or the bowler takes the pace off the ball and/or moves it around. His poor technique is exposed.

[jf1gp_1]

i want kaif in the squad if not in playing XI

[Sachinism]

Yuvraj has had long enough with plenty of opportunities to secure his place, he still hasn't done that, its time to look elsewhere. As good a LOI player Yuvi is, don't think test cricket is right for him

[zen]

may be because Dhoni and UV are :friends: :P

[Ram]

Yuvraj gets so many chances in tests? Please tell me you're kidding. The guy made his international debut in 1999, his test debut in 2003. In nearly 11 years of international cricket, he has managed to play a sum total of 32 tests. And you guys want to call it 'too many tests'? And this, despite him being our premier middle-order ODI bat for the last 7 years. Since it will be a mind-numbingly laborious process to chronicle all of his test match inclusions, lets just start from the point when he made his most recent attempt at a place in the Indian test team - December 2007. Remember the third test against Pakistan? Remember Yasir Arafat's spell that reduced us to 64-4? Even if you dont remember that, I hope you remember the 300 run partnership between Ganguly and Yuvraj that followed. But, for that partnership, we were almost certain to have lost that match and hence squandered the series lead we had. On the back of that innings, he was picked up for the aussie series down under, where he failed miserably in both Melbourne and Sydney and justifiably dropped after two matches. He then got another chance in the 3rd test against South Africa at home only because Sachin was injured, where he made a 30+ score in a total of 325. He didnt get to bat in the 2nd innings. Once Sachin was back, he was promptly dropped for the Lankan tour that followed and DROPPED again for our home series against Australia. He made his way back to the team for the England series at home, ONLY because Ganguly had retired by then. He had that now famous partnership with Sachin in the first test and scored another 80-odd in the drawn second test. He was picked for the Kiwi series on the back of this performance, where in the second test at Napier, he put an unbeaten 100 partnership with VVS that played a (minor, albeit significant role) in the saving that test match. Now, cut to the Lankan series at home last December. Does the score 32-4 in the first test ring a bell? Yes, it was Yuvraj again, this time in partnership with Dravid that helped us resurrect the innings and win the series. So, in the last 2 years, Yuvraj has played 6 test match series in total, out of which 3 of his innings helped us save 3 test matches in three separate test series (Against Pakistan at home, against New Zealand in New Zealand, against Lanka at home) from extremely precarious positions and one of his innings played SIGNIFICANT role in helping us win one test series (Against England at home). What more do you want from you no.6? A 100 every 4/5 innings like a top-order bat? Given all this, can anyone tell with a straight face that he has been picked unfairly in the team, knowing that the ONLY time he failed miserably in the last 2 years (Aus, in Aus), he was immediately dropped? He has done what a no.6 should do - Helped us save and win test matches. There is no need for him to produce Gambhir like numbers. Some people have just got it into their minds that Yuvraj as a test cricketer is a perpetual failure and that unless someone is capable of averaging 50+ in test cricket, he isnt fit enough to be in the team. Sorry, that logic may apply for a top-order bat, but not for a no.6 batsmen, especially in a team like India People can have their own fabricated perceptions in their minds, but unfortunately, the FACTS and RESULTS dont bear you out. That said, should he be given an unlimited free-run in the team? No. Are there some significant shortfalls in his technique and temperament that pose serious risks to our ability to continue winning test matches? Absolutely YES. If the opportunity arises, should we replace him with some other player who is better suited to deliver in the stresses and strains of test cricket? Hell yeah. But, we're still a considerable period of time away before which we have to start asking ourselves those questions because a) in the limited chances given to him in the last 2 years, Yuvraj has more than delivered as a no.6 batsmen and b) we dont yet have some who can step up and do the no.6 job with alacrity and stability. Till then, all the perennial Yuvraj doubters can keep living in their fantasy world of fabricated doubts. kthxbye.

[zen]

good post there^ but i guess the point is not whether UV has been a failure in tests. It is does he have it in him to serve Ind in test for a long period or would you consider an upcoming player with better technique, who has the potential to serve Ind for a long time and may be bat up the order (once the slots in the 3 to 5 positions open up). I know it's difficult to replace Dravid and Tendulkar as they are like once in a generation players but I am talking abt a player who at least can do a decent job and be competitive with his counterpart in the opposition I guess, it's the people who believe in the later think that UV has been given far many chances in tests (as in the chances that he has been given over the years, he hasn't shown a lot of improvement in his technique or built enough confidence [with fans ] in his ability to take Ind through to a decent position from 50 for 4 kind of a situation against good teams outside sub-continent, where you are likely find Ind in such a position). But there is no doubt that UV has done decently at #6 in the last few series and full credit to him for doing that

[Sooda]

MM you should end that post with - kthxbai

[Ram]

good post there^ but i guess the point is not whether UV has been a failure in tests. It is does he have it in him to serve Ind in test for a long period or would you consider an upcoming player with better technique, who has the potential to serve Ind for a long time and may be bat up the order (once the slots in the 3 to 5 positions open up). I know it's difficult to replace Dravid and Tendulkar as they are like once in a generation players but I am talking abt a player who at least can do a decent job and be competitive with his counterpart in the opposition I guess, it's the people who believe in the later think that UV has been given far many chances in tests (as in the chances that he has been given over the years, he hasn't shown a lot of improvement in his technique or built enough confidence [with fans ] in his ability to take Ind through to a decent position from 50 for 4 kind of a situation against good teams outside sub-continent, where you are likely find Ind in such a position). But there is no doubt that UV has done decently at #6 in the last few series and full credit to him for doing that

I hear what you're saying. Yuvraj's temperament and technique are NOT suited for test cricket. But the question we have to ask ourselves is - Is he good enough, at the moment, to warrant a place in the test team as a no.6 bat? The answer for that would be a definite YES. And keep in mind, we just lost Ganguly. We'll soon be bidding our farewells to VVS, RD and Sach. We need some old hands and cannot afford to simply hand over our middle order to some newbie. The problem with Yuvraj is that his technique and style of play is not silken smooth as say VVS. This creates a perception in peoples' mind that he is almost certainly not suited for test cricket. While extremely reasonable arguments can be made to re-inforce that point, the FACT is, in the times he has received chances to be part of the test team in the last 2 years, he has done more than what he should do, to retain a spot. End of story. And oh btw, I am still waiting for some smart-Alex who is going to play that ever so intelligent game that Pakistanis usually play (Remember how they keep saying, Zaheer is 'not world class because his average is 35 with the ball in the last 2 years...'. ) and tell how Yuvraj only averages 35 in test cricket in the last 3 years and how that is simply not good enough at the test level, thus conveniently giving a total miss to all context.

MM you should end that post with - kthxbai

Good idea, done. :D

[zen]

And why would you think we don't have a replacement for UV? Obviously, it's the people who think there are possible replacements (that can do an equally good job while improving their game to become better) that say that he has been given fair amount of chances If you ask me, I am more than open to consider likes of Vijay, Kohli or even the new kid Pandey, who I think can learn a lot by playing in the company of Dravid and Tendulkar

[vvvslaxman]

More than the runs he scores the technique that bothers everyone. He has a big backlift even for simple defense. I have never seen a batsman getting squared up against even simple deliveries as much as Yuvi does.

[Ram]

And why would you think we don't have a replacement of UV? Obviously' date=' it's the people who think there are possible replacements that say that he has been given fair amount of chances[/quote'] Lets hear the names then. Who are his 'potential' replacements? Raina? Kohli? Badri? Vijay? Karthik? Or some other talented lower-middle order bat in domestic cricket capable of performing the duties of a no.6 batsmen? Lets keep in mind, we're talking of a VERY specific role in a VERY specific position. Which is why, some posters like fineleg make a delulded case for Yuvraj to be replaced by Vijay. An opener to play at no.6? Do people even understand what usually happens when we try to play people out of character?

[Ram]

More than the runs he scores the technique that bothers everyone. He has a big backlift even for simple defense. I have never seen a batsman getting squared up against even simple deliveries as much as Yuvi does.

So what you're essentially saying is that it does not matter what a batsmen actually manages to deliver in terms of results (and we have seen PLENTY of evidence of Yuvraj delivering with the bat in the last 2 years), all that matters is how he looks to the eye?

[DomainK]

Yuvi will get his share of chances, though he fast running out of them. I have always believed that a talented player must get a decent number of chances before looking past him for other options. Thankfully we have a rich batting lineup where we can test a few of them.

[vvvslaxman]

Ravindra Jadeja if he improves both as a batsman and a bowler might pose some threat to Yuvi. Another threat could be Irfan Pathan who could improve his bowling. I think Yuvraj will survive as we don't play on spin pitches much these days.

[DomainK]

Ravindra Jadeja if he improves both as a batsman and a bowler might pose some threat to Yuvi. Another threat could be Irfan Pathan who could improve his bowling. I think Yuvraj will survive as we don't play on spin pitches much these days.

Yuvraj is a very handy spinner. He is actually better than he looks. But that of course will not help him hold on his position unless he improves his batting.

[zen]

Lets hear the names then. Who are his 'potential' replacements? Raina? Kohli? Badri? Vijay? Karthik? Or some other talented lower-middle order bat in domestic cricket capable of performing the duties of a no.6 batsmen? Lets keep in mind, we're talking of a VERY specific role in a VERY specific position. Which is why, some posters like fineleg make a delulded case for Yuvraj to be replaced by Vijay. An opener to play at no.6? Do people even understand what usually happens when we try to play people out of character?

I added the names to my last post Talking abt Vijay, in fact he could be playing in the next test in the middle order at a position that he isn't accustomed to. I don't see that as an issue .... Moreover it's not a bad idea to have someone like him at #6 where at times the new ball is taken or is reversing enough to not warrant taking a new ball. Or if the spinners are bowling well