Why Yuvraj Singh has failed to retain his place in the One-day side in recent times?

One of the only few cricketers who was a part of both triumphs in the World Cups of 2007 and 2011, Yuvraj Singh, is one of the stalwarts for Indian cricket. What he has achieved in a career spanning over 17 years would be very hard to replicate.

The Punjab lad overhauled many oppositions single-handedly but it was the comeback he made after defying deadly cancer, will forever be part of folklore. Yuvi in full flow is a sight to watch and the last couple of decades has seldom seen a cleaner hitter than Yuvraj.

There is no ambiguity regarding the momentous contribution he made for the country but Yuvi has struggled to keep his place in the limited-overs squad in the recent years. After the infamous innings in the T20 World Cup finals of 2014 in Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, he found it difficult to retain his place in coloured clothing for India.

He then toiled in the domestic circuit post the T20 World Cup of 2014, keeping an eye on the ODI World Cup of 2015. But heart-breakingly the Punjab powerhouse was not included in the squad for the World Cup in Australia. Yuvi was then included in the 2016 T20I series against Australia, Sri Lanka and Asia Cup, prior to the preparations for the T20 World Cup of 2016.

Yuvraj Singh, along with Suresh Raina, helped India chase down a target of 198 by smashing 19 off the last over in the Sydney T20I. During that phase, it was largely the contributions from the top order, rich in form, doing the bulk of scoring for India and eclipsing the chances for the middle order to have a go at the bowlers.

After a slight struggle to break into the One Day side, Yuvi made yet another comeback into the side earlier this year against England and announced it in style. He scored magnificent innings of 150 in the Cuttack ODI to seal his spot in the Champions Trophy.

Yuvraj Singh in his very first opportunity smashed a quickfire half-century against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston but what followed was a string of low scores. His injury in the West Indies didn’t help his cause either. He was expected to make a comeback into the ODI series in Sri Lanka, but could not fulfil the criterion of the fitness test held at NCA, Bengaluru.

It is a matter of great travesty to see a legend of the country struggle for his place in the side in the modern era. There was a time when an Indian side without the presence of Yuvraj Singh was unimaginable especially in limited overs cricket. If we scrutinize the career of Yuvraj Singh, sadly, it can be differentiated before and after cancer.

2012- The turning point in Yuvraj’s career?

If we look at his numbers post his return from treatment, there’s a stark difference in the average. If we take out the two performances in Edgbaston against Pakistan and Cuttack against England, the numbers are even more appalling, especially looking at the average he carried during the majority of his career until 2011.

His T20 number tell us a similar story. With the drop in average, there also exists a substantial decline in the strike rate of the southpaw. As they say, the numbers don’t lie, in Yuvraj Singh’s case, it clearly shows, he is not the same batsman who hit six sixes against Broad and annihilated the Aussies in the subsequent match in the T20 World Cup of 2007. Sadly, Yuvi is now half the batsman he was prior to his disease.

Lack of Contribution with the ball and field

The other point of discussion apart from all the statistics is the overall contribution from Yuvi in every match. One must not forget, Yuvraj had the golden arm and a knack of breaking partnership with his spinners. He also gave 5 overs to MS Dhoni every match on an average, thereby, providing him with the necessary cushion.

But the bowling days of Yuvraj Singh is long gone and as he gives an average of one over in every match. Back in the early 2000s, two young men named Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh revolutionised the art of fielding with them diving around in the point and cover region.

Gone were the days when Indian fielders were taken as an opportunity score the extra run. In came a younger crop of players, i.e., Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, who idolized Yuvi on the field and raised the fielding standard of the Indian side manifolds.

This yet again forever will be a game-changing legacy which Yuvraj Singh would leave behind once he decides to call it a day. That said, to see him languish at the third man area with a visible dip in intensity is a dismal scene to watch as an ardent Yuvi fan.

The lack of contribution with the ball and in the field means that if the Punjab powerhouse desires to make a comeback and retain his place in limited overs cricket, it would have to be due to a string of consistent performances which is sadly missing in Yuvi’s game at the moment.

If one is in the selector’s shoes, the chances of Yuvraj Singh making the cut into the Indian side prior to the ICC World Cup of 2019 look bleak, given the large pool of talent and competition prevalent in the Indian team currently. Players of the pedigree of Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, have found it difficult to make the cut into the eleven.

Selectors have invested their faith in youth, which is bad news for Yuvi who is also in the twilight of his career. The likes of Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya are the future of Indian cricket in the middle order, shepherded by the greatest finisher of all time, MS Dhoni.

Only time will tell if there is another twist in the tale for the comeback man of India, or is it time to felicitate Yuvraj Singh for a glorious career.