India’s 2007 World T20 winning coach confident Yuvraj Singh will make the cut in the World T20 squad despite lack of opportunities in Australia
Yuvraj Singh and Lalchand Rajput
Yuvraj Singh may have won back the confidence of his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the Indian fans with a four and a six after a sluggish start in the tense final over as India scored the required 17 runs to clean sweep Australia in the recent three-match T20 Internationals.
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Yuvraj Singh celebrates India's win over Oz on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images
The national selectors will surely keep that in mind as they meet in New Delhi today to select the final 15 for next month’s ICC World T20 to be played in India.
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The third T20 international was the only game in which Yuvraj got to bat. In the second, Yuvraj, the bowler impressed by sending back dangerman Glenn Maxwell and ended up conceding only seven runs in his two-over spell as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series at Melbourne.
Lalchand Rajput
Lalchand Rajput, who was India’s coach at the 2007 World T20 which MS Dhoni & Co won, is certain that Yuvraj will keep his place in the team. "The fact that he is selected for the T20 series against Sri Lanka is a good enough indication that he is in the scheme of things. Yuvraj is a big match player. Being a senior cricketer, his experience will be valuable in pressure situations in the World T20," Rajput told mid-day yesterday.
Rajput was mighty impressed with the way Yuvraj picked himself up in the final over of the third T20 International. "That is a sign of a class player. The way he hit those first two balls helped partner Suresh Raina finish off things comprehensively. And Yuvraj is a good addition in the bowling department. Having more options are always good for any captain," said Rajput, who saw Yuvraj hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in the 2007 World T20.
Form factor
Considering Yuvraj may not be as fluent as he was in the 2011 World Cup where he was adjudged the Player of Tournament, will there be an element of risk in his selection? "Not at all," exclaimed Rajput. "In 2014 (during the World T20), he was battling health and form issues. He is in terrific form now and has been consistent in the domestic season," he signed off.
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