08 June,2010 08:12 AM IST | | Agni Pandey
Selectors' snub off Yuvraj from Asia cup squad is a warning to youngsters
Even if Yuvraj Singh had been declared fit, it is unlikely he would have made it to the Indian team for the Asia Cup team.
Tired of reports of partying and regular night outs eroding team discipline, the Indian cricket board was determined to set an example for all their cricketers. And, what better way to issue a warning than targeting the leader of the pack.
Off-the-field behaviour and fitness were the main reasons behind Yuvraj Singh getting the axe from the 15-member Indian team selected for the Asia Cup, a selector on condition of anonymity said yesterday.
He further added that the committee intended to set an example for all the cricketers with this decision.
Talking to MiD DAY after the team was announced the selector said: "Not only is he out of form, his poor fitness is a major concern as well. When we sat down to pick the Asia Cup squad these things were on our mind and on that basis we did not pick Yuvraj."
It has also been learnt that all the selectors were so miffed with Yuvraj that they hardly took any time in yesterday's meeting in Delhi to reach a unanimous decision to drop him. The flamboyant left-handed middle-order batsman was off-colour in the Indian Premier League and in the World Twenty20 Cup in the West Indies last month as well. He was also involved in the unpleasant incident where a few Indian cricketers got into an altercation with some fans in a night club in the West Indies following India's early exit from the World T20.
A selector talking about the Kings XI Punjab batsman's off the field transgressions said: "We are not going to tell everything but definitely behaviour is also a part of this decision."
Another selector was annoyed at Yuvraj for keeping the selection committee in the dark about his fitness issues. "As he is such a senior cricketer definitely he has to be a lot more responsible. He must come clean before the selection committee and not hide anything," he said.
But selectors said the doors of the Indian team were not closed permanently on the explosive batsman. They said that the decision was in the best interests of Yuvraj and were confident that it would help him make a strong comeback in the future.
