The Indian squad is packed with quality players but wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal or Washington Sundar should have been given a place in the home side’s line-up, believes 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh. All-rounder Axar Patel was ruled out of the global event due to a quadriceps tear and the management replaced him with senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin was called up for the ODI series against Australia and was eventually included in the final 15-man squad as Chahal and Washington miss out.
“Personally, I think the only miss in this side is Yuzvendra Chahal. I think the only aspect missing in this team is a leg-spinner,” Yuvraj told PTI in an exclusive interview.
“I was keen to see Washington Sundar in the squad if we didn’t pick up Yuzi. But maybe the team wanted an experienced bowler, so that’s why I think they went for R Ashwin,” said one of India’s greatest ODI cricketers.
Yuvraj was speaking on the sidelines of an event organized by Vicks to release the World Cup song.
Jasprit Bumrah’s performance will have a huge impact on India’s home World Cup campaign, the former Indian batsman said.
Bumrah recently returned to the Indian squad during the T20I series against Ireland after a long injury break and also put in intense efforts in the Asia Cup.
“Jasprit is a match winner, like Zak (Zaheer Khan) did for us in 2011. What makes Jasprit a threat is that he has skill and speed. He is an asset to the team.
“To make a comeback from a back injury at this stage is also quite big. As a team you are confident that you have bowlers like that, they win you matches in every situation.” Yuvraj, the player of the tournament at the 2011 World Cup, was happy with Bumrah’s growing maturity as a cricketer. “Bumrah has matured in recent years, he has captained India and has become a smart bowler. Rohit knows how to use him wisely, especially since he captained Bumrah to Mumbai Indians,” Yuvraj said.
“The advantage of Bumrah is that he can get wickets quickly initially, but when he starts running, his skills come into play. There will be days when you win a match after scoring 300 or 350-plus, but this kind of things bowlers like Bumrah are needed to defend scores like 250 and 260,” he said.
The 41-year-old was also delighted to see the form of India’s middle-order batsmen.
“It is a good thing that all our middle order batters – KL (Rahul), Ishan (Kishan) and Shreyas Iyer – are in good form. But the team management has to decide before the tournament which elevens and combinations will be in the team looks calm,” he said.
Yuvraj knows a thing or two about winning the World Cup, having been part of India’s triumphant teams in 2007 (T20 World Cup) and 2011 (50-over World Cup).
He said India had started its preparation for the 2011 World Cup at the time Gary Kirsten joined the team as head coach.
“We started planning the World Cup from the day Gary came on board. The first step was to achieve the No. 1 ranking in all formats – be it ODI cricket or Tests. When the World Cup came, “We had a lot of players who were at the peak of their careers. The younger generation had also matured. So it was a complete team effort,” he said.
On a personal front, Yuvraj was battling injuries and other health issues, which were later diagnosed as cancer, ahead of the big celebration of 2011.
So how did he manage to rise above these obstacles? “I was struggling with injuries prior to the World Cup… neck, fingers… and other health related problems because I couldn’t breathe properly. I had to put all those things aside and focus on one goal, and that is the World Cup. .
“Playing in such a physical state you had to put your body on the line. I think to win a World Cup after 28 years it took such an effort.” India had then won a 50-over World Cup, their second, after a lead of almost three decades, and Yuvraj hoped Rohit Sharma and his team would end India’s twelve-year wait for a third trophy at home next month.
“I like these guys because I can relate to any of them and I have played with some of them too. I think Virat and Rohit deserve a World Cup. So everyone has to put their bodies on the line for such a big match .” stage,” he said.
Yuvraj also advised the pack present to stay away from distractions during the World Cup. “I would tell them that for the next 40 to 45 days, they should stay away from distractions… media, friends and all that. They should concentrate solely on the game. Sachin paaji (Tendulkar) used to tell us that,” he signed off.
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