Ever since making his debut for India in 2000, Yuvraj Singh has been a proven match-winner in the limited-overs format and has done well consistently over the years. He was one of the reasons why India won the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup. Right after the 2011 World Cup, he faced the biggest battle of his career as he was diagnosed with cancer and since his return after overcoming the disease, Yuvraj has been a shadow of his past as the dashing southpaw has found it really hard to cope with the demands of the game.
He has been in and out of the Indian team and struggled to get going whenever he got a chance to represent the Men in Blue. Once again, he was given a chance in the team earlier this year, which he made full use of by scoring 150 against England and thereby cemented his place in the team for the Champions Trophy. In the ICC event, he scored a match-winning half-century against Pakistan before struggling to get going against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the final.
His batting powers have diminished and he hardly rolls his arms over. Adding to this, he has been poor on the field, something you generally didn’t associate with Yuvraj in the past. To be fair, he is 35 years old at the moment and one cannot expect him to throw himself on the field. It is safe to say that the age-factor has caught up with his batting as well.
In spite of all these, should the team management persist with him given that the 2019 World Cup is just two years away? If they think Yuvraj can be around till then, I am sceptical of India’s chances in the show piece cricket event. It is high time (even if he does well in West Indies) that the selectors, along with the team management, take a bold call and look beyond one of India’s most successful players in the format.
Let us take a look at five cricketers who can replace Yuvraj in the Indian middle order.
Extra cover: Time to take a call between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni
Note: The names that feature in this list were not a part of the playing XI in the ICC Champions Trophy and the series against West Indies.
#5 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was a vital member of the Indian team since making a comeback in 2008, but, the same cannot be said of his journey with the Indian team in the last two years. After the 2015 World Cup, Raina’s form dipped before he was eventually dropped after India’s series against South Africa later that year.
Since then, he was considered as a T20 specialist and has represented the nation in numerous T20Is. Raina might have been out of form and struggled against rising deliveries, something that was exposed by bowlers around the world and has been playing in his mind whenever he walked out to bat, he is still a safer bet than Yuvraj in all three departments.
Extra cover: 5 Indian stars who might not play in the 2019 World Cup
He is reliable with the bat in the middle order and is someone who is familiar with the demands of modern day cricket. With the ball, he can give the captain few handy overs with his off-spin and is one of India’s best fielders at the moment, traits that are missing in Yuvraj’s armoury.
It won’t be a surprise if Raina is called back to the ODI squad, especially after the selectors gave a lifeline to Yuvraj Singh earlier this year.
#4 Dinesh Karthik
Score heavily in the Indian domestic circuit, get picked in the Indian team, show a lot of promise, fail in the national colours, get dropped, repeat. This is the curious case of Dinesh Karthik for the last one decade. In spite of getting an extended run with the Indian team, Karthik has failed to cement his place in the playing XI.
Once again, he has done well in the Indian domestic circuit and was given a national call-up ahead of the Champions Trophy. This time, he didn’t get a chance to play in the tournament and is unlikely to play in the series against West Indies.
Extra cover: 5 Indian stars who might not play in the 2019 World Cup
If the selectors want to persist with him in the Indian team, he should be given a chance to express himself and if he gets going, he should be given a chance until the end of 2019 World Cup. Replacing Yuvraj with Karthik will be a temporary solution to India’s middle-order woes and I hope that the selectors and the team management do not prefer this route instead of investing in the youngsters.
#3 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey has been a part of the Indian ODI set-up for a while and proved his worth when he scored a match-winning century in the fifth ODI against Australia in 2016. The Karnataka batsman showed a lot of promise in the format as India were looking for someone who can do the job at number 4 or 5.
He was rewarded with a place in the squad for the New Zealand series later that year and unfortunately, he failed to grab the chance with both his hands as he was inconsistent throughout the series. He was eventually dropped from the playing XI for the England series and that gave Yuvraj Singh his much-needed chance.
Pandey had a very good IPL and was picked in the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy. Unfortunately, he got injured mid-way through the IPL and was replaced by Dinesh Karthik in the Indian squad.
Currently, Pandey is undergoing rehabilitation and in all likelihood, he is set to be fit for the Sri Lanka series. Keeping the 2019 World Cup in mind, the selectors should take a bold call and give more chances to the right-hander, who ticks all the boxes that are needed for a number 4 batsman in ODIs, rather than persisting with Yuvraj.
#2 Rishabh Pant
It’s baffling to see Rishabh Pant not getting a chance in the ODI series against West Indies in spite of getting picked in the ODI squad. This makes us wonder what the Indian management is thinking with the 2019 World Cup just two years away.
Ideally, this series should be the perfect opportunity for the newbie to prove his worth. Pant doesn’t need any introduction as he is someone who has done so well in the Indian domestic circuit and the IPL.
Extra cover: 5 reasons why the West Indies tour could define Rishabh Pant's career
Playing Pant in the team allows MS Dhoni to bat at number 4 and the former Indian skipper can take his time before going for the kill while Pant doesn’t need to get going. The Indian team management should handle the left-hander carefully.
It’s high time that they think about the future and the 2019 World Cup rather than giving chances to a seasoned veteran, who might not make it to the tournament.
#1 KL Rahul
KL Rahul had a successful Test series against Australia when he injured his shoulder during the first Test in Pune and played the remainder of the series in spite of the injury. Just before the start of IPL, he decided to go under the knife and get fully fit before the ICC Champions Trophy. Unfortunately, his recovery took more time and he was forced to miss the Cup and the subsequent series in West Indies.
He himself revealed that he is targeting India’s tour to Sri Lanka to make a return to competitive cricket and in all likelihood, he is set to make the cut for all the three formats. Though he is certain to open in the Test series, the same cannot be said about the limited-overs series as Shikhar Dhawan has sealed his place in the team as an opener along with Rohit Sharma.
Extra cover: 5 Indian players who should be groomed for the 2019 World Cup
It won’t be a bad idea to make Rahul bat in the middle order at the expense of Yuvraj Singh. In spite of rising to prominence as an opening batsman, Rahul has the ability to adapt to the demands of a middle order batsman. He made a name for himself as a limited-overs batsman in the 2016 IPL, where he played in the middle order and if given a chance, he could replicate the success with the Men in Blue too.
He batted at number 4 in T20Is against West Indies and scored a century. He is someone who can keep the scorecard ticking and is capable of hitting a big shot whenever needed, even if it is ball one. Out of these five names, if I get a chance to pick one player to replace Yuvraj at number 4 or 5, it would be KL Rahul.
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