The world is full of superstars where common masses look upto human beings for source of inspiration, changes, entertainment and other stuff. It is hard to digest if our beloved superstar player is criticized, axed or is around retirement days. The fanatics were or are not ready to accept the fact that everything has got an expiry date and no one can continue playing till his last breath. Sachin Tendulkar, the god of Indian cricket, had a teary farewell with millions wanting him to continue. The fear of not finding his replacement was stuck to everyone’s heart but somehow Virat Kohli has managed to take up the task perfectly. Another player who is standing on the cusp of final stage when it comes to professional career is Yuvraj Singh. The Southpaw has been an amazing sportsman for 17 years but like a tracer bullet, he too has a range, which is almost over in international cricket.
Yuvraj Singh was dropped from the Indian squad for the limited overs series against Sri Lanka in what could possibly signal an end to his illustrious international career. A two-time World Cup winner and one of India’s finest limited overs exponent, the 35 year old Yuvraj Singh’s place was always under the scanner. A senior BCCI official, who is privy to selection policy said that Yuvraj Singh is no longer in contention for the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. “His batting has lost sting. He rarely bowls and his fielding has gone down a few notches. If we have to prepare a team for 2019 World Cup, we had to take a call now. In case of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, we still don’t have replacement but Yuvraj’s place has multiple contenders,” the official, who can’t come on record, told PTI.
However, the statement of the BCCI official was soon put to rest by Chief Selector MSK Prasad. He has stated that Yuvraj Singh is not dropped from the squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, but is rested so as to test other players in the said period. “Yuvraj Singh is rested, not dropped. We’ve started a policy where a set of players will be given chances for next 4-5 months,” he said in a recent press conference. “Then after that period (4 to 5 months), we’ll know who are in contention for 2019 World Cup. Doors are not closed on Yuvraj and (Suresh) Raina, but we are laying down strict parameters for fitness for 2019 WC. Anyone who fails this fitness parameter will not be considered,” he added. It seems that he was trying to do damage control after axing Yuvraj Singh from the squad. A player who is not part of the Test squad and has not played since the West Indies series doesn’t need rest. I would have taken his words if Yuvraj Singh was playing continuous cricket but the story is altogether different, leaving a question mark on the statement issued by MSK Prasad.
Earlier this year, fighter Yuvraj Singh made a resounding comeback in international cricket. Veteran Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh shut his critics up with his career best score of 150 against England in the second One-Day in Cuttack, and said it was probably one of the best innings of his career. The left-handed batsman was in some mood when he walked out to bat in the fourth over. Straight from the outset, Yuvraj was hitting the ball cleanly and did the same for the large part of his impressive innings. His last hundred, however, came in the World Cup 2011, and it took him nearly six years to add one more to his tally. In his blistering knock of 150 runs, Yuvi hammered 21 fours and three sixes. This was the knock, which gave national selectors a hope of seeing Yuvraj Singh in the World Cup in 2019. He was selected in the squad for the Champions Trophy and the ODI series against West Indies. Barring one fifty, he failed miserably in both events, resulting in criticism and demand of his ouster from the team. Even against a weak team like West Indies, he was a pale shadow of his illustrious past, constantly struggling to go on after landing at the crease. And with his recent axing, the writing on the wall has come true. Men in Blue have a good bench strength where players are ready to prove their worth.
One of them is Manish Pandey, who has been selected in place of Yuvraj Singh. The right hand batsman is an aggressive batsman, willing to dominate attack from world over. It is down to opportunities, which has been tough to come by for Manish Pandey. If Yuvraj was a thunder in his best days then Manish Pandey is ready to take up that role at the moment. Yuvraj Singh is 35 years of age and is not getting younger. The spark, hunger, will power and fighting spirit is all missing from one of the greatest match winners of all time. The same old inconsistently, which started after his cancer battle, has come back to haunt him in the recent times. He has made numerous comeback in the past with a big knock before fading away. With selectors looking to form the core group of players for the 2019 World Cup, Yuvraj’s chances to make another comeback look bleak. The emergence of youngsters such as Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer has given tough competition to seniors like Yuvraj Singh. To be on the bus for the World Cup in 2019, he will have to go back to domestic cricket to stand an outside chance of representing India but honestly speaking, even he is aware about his future and the reality. The medicine which have been pumped into his body during his cancer treatment has slowed down his reflexes, leaving no chance of seeing him at his original best. With 8701 runs in 304 ODIs to his credit, may be the die-hard Yuvraj fans will also accept the fact. Even if not, there’s no embarrassment as it has been a career worth celebrating with two World Cup titles.