Yuvraj Singh rested, not dropped for Sri Lanka, says Chairman of selectors

What's the story?

MSK Prasad, Chairman of India's National Cricket Selection Committee, 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.

Singh was a part of the Indian playing XI for the ICC Champions Trophy as well as the West Indies tour, but had a below par performance in both. Prasad said that the rotation policy in terms of team selection is undertaken to focus on the ICC World Cup 2019.

"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.

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Virat Kohli's men have displayed utter dominance in the Test Series against Sri Lanka

India are currently in the middle of a tour of Sri Lanka, and are on the cusp of whitewashing the hosts in the Test series.

The squad for the limited overs series that is set to commence on August 20 was announced yesterday (August 13). Singh and Dinesh Karthik, who were present in the squad since June, were dropped for KL Rahul and Manish Pandey respectively.

The details

The national selector was completely adamant on his stance on fitness of the Indian players and said that it will be a primary parameter while considering them for selection.

Furthering his point, he declared that henceforth, the national selection will be based on fitness and not skill. He added that India has an abundance of skill, but fitness is a requirement that will not be compromised on, irrespective of the circumstances surrounding the same.

What's next?

The Sri Lanka tour will be followed by home series against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. These matches will help the Indian captain as well as the national selectors in deciphering the code to crack the best-suited squad to send to England for the big tournament.

Author's take

The fitness of international athletes cannot be under question at any point of time in their careers. If a player is keen on representing his or her country in a sport, he or she has to have prime levels of fitness.

Prasad has clearly stated what he expects from Singh, and it is now on him to try and prove to the selectors that he is well-equipped to take on the challenge of international cricket even today.