The Big Debate: How much does Yuvraj Singh have left in the tank?

Cancer survivor, man of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup, 2007 World T20 star and now a man struggling for form in all formats. His Test career is virtually over, ODIs are a tough ask and T20 seems to be beyond him as well. Sachin Tendulkar, however, feels that Yuvraj Singh should make the squad for the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. Tariq Engineer and Ashish Magotra debate just how we should judge a star like Yuvraj Singh. Ashish Magotra: The criteria to judge Yuvraj Singh should be the same as it is for any other player – performance. Does what he has achieved in the past matter if he can’t put it together for the team in the present? We all know what Yuvraj was capable of in the past but do we really know what he is capable of now? Can we trust him to come good in clutch moments; in moments when the team really needs him? For a veteran, the big moments are the defining point and sadly enough, Yuvraj seems to be failing that test. The 2015 World Cup is a long way away but perhaps Tendulkar’s thoughts have been clouded by some sweet nostalgia. [caption id=“attachment_1470555” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Yuvraj Singh’s body language betrays a lack of confidence. Reuters[/caption] Tariq Engineer: We all like to think the good times will never end (just ask Vijay Mallya about Kingfisher Airlines). But they do. More so in sports, where careers can end abruptly and brutally while men and women are still relatively young. Should Yuvraj’s house have been pelted with stones? No. Should he be held up as the scapegoat for India’s loss in the final? No. Should his place in the squad be questioned after the World T20? Absolutely, yes. Like you rightly said, this is not about what Yuvraj has done in the past. It is about what he is doing now and that doesn’t add up to much. Yuvraj looked short of confidence throughout the tournament. There was no freedom in his stroke play. Perhaps he can play his way out of this slump but can India afford to wait around to see if he does? In a smaller way, they did exactly that in that World T20, dropping Shikhar Dhawan but trusting Yuvraj to come good. That didn’t turn out so well in the final. Ashish Magotra: Probably a good place to begin is what India needs from a batsman at number four. For starters, if the top order fails – and there is a greater chance of that happening in Australia (where the new ball bowlers will get more out of the pitch) – then we need the middle order to shore up the innings, bat through the innings if necessary. Can Yuvraj do that? In 18 ODIs played Down Under, Yuvraj has scored 516 runs at 30.35 with just one century. So if you go by numbers he has put up during his career, he probably can’t. Second, for a majority of his career – Yuvraj has been the man at number 5 for India. He knows the position and the demands. At number four, there is a danger of him being exposed to the new ball and that hasn’t always gone well for him. Also is Pujara a better bet at number four? Can he lend more solidity to the order? Or is there another batsman we should look towards. Tariq Engineer: I suspect that if Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are opening the innings for India in the 2015 World Cup, there will be a few nervy starts. A solid No 4 (with Virat Kohli at No 3) would then be a necessity. I like the idea of Cheteshwar Pujara, who is so desperate to play in the World Cup that he is working on his bowling. Pujara has said he would like to open in ODIs, but he could just as easily bat at 4. I also think Ajinkya Rahane can do the job at No 4 if he concentrates on playing his natural game and stops trying too manufacture shots all the time. There are already plenty of batsmen who like to play big shots, to varying degrees of success. India could use a cooler head. Coming back to Yuvraj’s immediate future though, how much do you think he has left in the tank? Why do you think his form has dropped off so sharply? Ashish Magotra: Yuvraj Singh has always been a confidence player. If he finds his rhythm, then all the other problems seem to melt away. But of late, fitness and confidence have been a concern. After his fifty against Australia, he came out and wondered why people were talking about his T20 form when it was his form in ODIs that wasn’t good. Now, who does that? Form is regardless of format right. And anyway if good form from one format can carry over into another then the same is true of bad form as well. For Yuvraj to get back into the team in any format, he needs to score so many runs that we don’t even consider asking the question of his inclusion. You have mentioned a lot of names but I really think if Gautam Gambhir can get it together – he might be worth a shot. He is experienced, not as old as Yuvraj and slowly but surely finding his touch. In the last Ranji season, he averaged 48.16 (topping the run-scoring charts for Delhi with 578 runs). He could be the right fit if only Dhoni is in favour of giving him another chance. Yes, Rohit has just moved up the order but move Gambhir back into the opening position and let Rohit bat at number 4. Rohit is a much more confident batsman now and he should be able to shoulder the responsibility. Tariq Engineer: Your description of Yuvraj reminds of me of Virender Sehwag. Quick reflexes and an uncanny eye allowed both of them to smash even good balls for runs. The team was certainly more fun to watch when there was a chance one or both could go mad. This Yuvraj looks a long way from that Yuvraj. Even when Yuvi made runs against Australia in the World T20, the fluidity was missing. It looked like hard work when Yuvraj has always made batting look like fun. I would be very surprised if Gambhir were to replace Rohit as one of India’s openers. I just don’t think the team is set-up to allow for such a change. Rohit wasn’t succeeding in the middle order so they pushed him up and it has worked to the extent that he averages 42.94 as an opener and 31.72 batting anywhere else. With one year to go for the 2015 World Cup, moving Rohit back down would be too much of a risk. Besides, Gambhir batted at No 3 in the 2011 World Cup with Kohli coming in at No 4. That combination didn’t work out too badly for India, did it? Ashish Magotra: To be part of a national team, you have to look like you belong to the level. At the moment, we can’t say that about Yuvraj. Some times players just need to be phased out. Yuvraj has been part of many of India’s greatest limited overs’ triumphs but the 2015 World Cup seems to be a bit too much at this stage. The next time he is being picked, it shouldn’t be for his reputation; it should be for the runs he scores and the wickets he takes. Anything less will be an injustice to others trying to make it to the team. Yuvraj is a great team man but that isn’t the sole criteria of getting into the team. If they could show Harbhajan and Zaheer the door, they can very well do it to Yuvi as well. Tariq Engineer: I wish Yuvraj had the opportunity to go back to domestic cricket and play a few care-free innings. Unfortunately for him, the IPL is up next and there will be pressure on him after he was bought for Rs 14 crore by RCB. Hank Aaron, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, said that when he was in a slump, he just kept swinging because there was nothing to do but keep swinging. Yuvraj needs to do that now. He has to let go of the fear of failure and just keep swinging. It is the only way to know if there is still a little magic left.