Gautam Gambhir believes it is difficult for Yuvraj Singh to make a comeback in the ODI squad

What’s the story?

Indian team outcast Gautam Gambhir discussed star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's omission from the ODI squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. He felt that the word ‘rest’ was not the right one to be used and now, it is very difficult for Yuvraj to make a comeback to the side.

“I don’t think ‘rest’ is the right word because he (Yuvraj) hasn’t played any cricket for quite a while and he would be wanting to play. If you want to see him at the World Cup, he should be given the maximum opportunity. Because, someone like Yuvraj, you want him in that flow, you want him in that rhythm. You can’t have someone like him playing in one series and resting thereafter,” Gambhir told Cricinfo.

The left-handed opening batsman further added, “So, I feel that it’s difficult now for Yuvraj to make a comeback. Hopefully, he does because he is one of the greats of the game."

The context

The squad for the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka was selected last Sunday. However, Yuvraj along with Dinesh Karthik, both of whom were a part of the squad since June, were dropped. MSK Prasad, Chairman of the Selection Committee, later clarified that Yuvraj was not dropped but ‘rested’.

The heart of the matter

Although Prasad claimed that Yuvraj was rested according to a new ‘policy’, Gambhir felt otherwise. Yuvraj has not been a part of the Test squad for quite some time now. He played an important role in the Champions Trophy in June and was also included in the squad for the West Indies tour.

However, he had enough time to rest during India’s recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka. Gambhir hoped that the right message was conveyed to Yuvraj by the selectors, albeit whatever had been said to the media as every player expects an honest opinion.

What’s next?

Prasad claimed that the doors to the 2019 World Cup for Yuvraj were not closed yet but strict parameters had been laid down in regard to fitness.

Author’s take

Yuvraj will be 38 by the time the World Cup starts and it indeed looks difficult for him to make a comeback into the team. If anyone, Gambhir should know how tough it is to make a comeback once you are on the wrong side of 30. But then again, with Yuvraj, you can never be too sure – he is the King of Comebacks after all.