Sunil Gavaskar feels that Yuvraj Singh’s recall is BCCI’s belated wedding gift to the newly married man

What’s the story?

A day after India’s favourite captain sent the country into a shock by announcing his untimely retirement as India’s limited-overs skipper; the fans had something to smile about once again. The reason being Yuvraj Singh’s recall to the national team after 3 years for the India-England limited-overs series.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar called the southpaw’s recall to the national side a ‘belated wedding gift’. Speaking to NDTV, Gavaskar said, “Yuvraj deserves every opportunity to make a comeback. BCCI gave him a slightly belated wedding gift."

In case you didn’t know...

BCCI announced the squads for the upcoming India-England ODI and T20 series on Friday. While Virat Kohli was announced as the captain for the series, another important news came in the form of Yuvraj’s recall. Apart from Yuvi, Shikhar Dhawan made an entry into the team after recovering from injuries and Jadhav also booked a seat in the dressing room.

In the T20 squad, pacer Ashish Nehra has made a comeback after being ruled out through injury post-World T20 2016. Suresh Raina also made the cut and will be seen on the field in the blue jersey after quite a long time. He was ruled out of the series against New Zealand in 2016 due to illness.

The heart of the matter

Yuvraj Singh, who recently tied the knot with Bollywood actress Hazel Keech, last played an ODI for India back in December 2013 against South Africa at Centurion while his last T20I appearance was on March 27, 2016 against Australia at Mohali in the World T20.

The left-hander had a hugely successful 2016 Ranji Trophy season, smashing 672 runs in five matches (8 innings) with a high score of 260. He averaged a whopping 84 and recorded two centuries and two half-centuries.

Speaking to NDTV, Gavaskar also highlighted Yuvraj’s importance as a fielder, stating that the 35-year-old might not be in the same shape as he was when he was 21, but his contribution as a fielder still remains unquestionable.

What next?

As expected, Virat Kohli will lead the team in the upcoming India-England ODI and T20 series. He will captain a 15-member Indian side for the ODIs, while also leading a 15-member squad for the T20 series against England.

Sportskeeda’s Take

While the Little Master called Yuvraj’s recall a ‘belated wedding gift’, it would be fair to give some credit to the Chandigarh batsman’s ‘lady luck’ as well.