Yuvraj Singh the specialist needed, not the all-rounder

The Indian one-day outfit looks settled. The top-three batsmen in the line-up are making a mockery of every total — small or big. And if there is a crisis, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni almost unfailingly bails the team. In the pace department, experiments are on, but with little positive results on placid batting tracks. The spinners — Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja — on the other hand, along with the part timers, are doing their bit to trouble the opposition batsmen. Thus as a unit, the team has done a very good job, which has made up for Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina failures with the bat.

India’s next three assignments will give enough scope for the team management to assess whether Yuvraj Singh fits in their plans going into the ICC World Cup 2015 © IANS

By Aayush Puthran

The Indian one-day outfit looks settled. The top-three batsmen in the line-up are making a mockery of every total — small or big. And if there is a crisis, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni almost unfailingly bails the team out. In the pace department, experiments are on, but with little positive results on placid batting tracks. The spinners — Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja — on the other hand, along with the part timers, are doing their bit to trouble the opposition batsmen. Thus as a unit, the team has done a very good job, which has made up for Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina failures with the bat.

Keeping an eye on the ICC World Cup 2015, it will be critical for Yuvraj, more than anyone else, to add more weight to his performance with the bat. Given the current form of the top-three, Yuvraj may not get too many opportunities to bat on an ideal batting wicket. The only time he may get a good hit in the middle is if there is a small collapse or when there are enough demons in the pitch to go with some good bowling. So he needs to make it count whenever he gets a chance.

Bowling is a bonus in his repertoire. But, will his bowling be useful in Australian conditions? Also, consider the fact that Dhoni would have the services of Ashwin and Jadeja at his disposal.  Rohit and Raina might just be good enough to fill in, if at all there is a need.

In the fielding department, Yuvraj has come back well. He looks a lot leaner and fitter and is able to throw himself around in the inner circle, to save a few runs. Even today, there are few in the team who manage to hit the stumps directly as frequently as the he does. Yet, there are equally good, if not better fielders on the Indian bench.

So it allows little room for Yuvraj to stake a claim in the side, if not for his batting. As much as there have been talks of how limited-overs cricket has demanded multi-dimensional players, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dhoni would just want Yuvraj as a specialist batsman. The additional value that he brings to the team in Indian conditions will nullify in foreign conditions. By 2015, the others in the side would have played enough international cricket and the team may not bank on Yuvraj’s experience alone.

The next three assignments would give enough scope for the team management to assess whether the left-hander fits in their plans going into the World Cup. While South Africa and New Zealand will have seamer friendly conditions, the ICC World T20 2014 would test Yuvraj’s temperament at the big stage event, a stage where he has often glittered. But for that he has to push his case with stronger performances with the willow.

(Aayush Puthran is a reporter with CricketCountry. Mercurially jovial, pseudo pompous, perpetually curious and occasionally confused, he is always up for a light-hearted chat over a few cups of filter kaapi!)

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