Gautam Gambhir, former India opener and current Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, has said that veterans Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni will have to put in better performances in order to continue playing for India.
Yuvraj Singh was not selected for the limited-over side that’s playing Sri Lanka. MS Dhoni hasn’t also been at his best over the last couple of months, including the Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni, nonetheless made the cut for the tour but chief selector MSK Prasad stated that Yuvraj wasn’t “dropped” but had been “rested”, stating that the door is never shut for anyone. However, it is believed that the swashbuckling southpaw failed the yo-yo endurance test and was thus sidelined.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the Gautam Gambhir said: “I don’t think ‘rest’ is the right word because he (Yuvraj) hasn’t played any cricket for quite a while and he would be wanting to play. If you want to see him at the World Cup, he should be given the maximum opportunity.
“Because, someone like Yuvraj, you want him in that flow, you want him in that rhythm. You can’t have someone like him playing in one series and resting thereafter. So, I feel that it’s difficult now for Yuvraj to make a comeback. Hopefully, he does because he is one of the greats of the game.”
{{/usCountry}}“Because, someone like Yuvraj, you want him in that flow, you want him in that rhythm. You can’t have someone like him playing in one series and resting thereafter. So, I feel that it’s difficult now for Yuvraj to make a comeback. Hopefully, he does because he is one of the greats of the game.”
{{/usCountry}}Gautam Gambhir, who himself last represented India during the Australia series last year, is fighting hard to find a place in the side. And with Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay all performing with the bat, it’s difficult for him to break into the limited-overs format as well where he last played a T20I in 2012 and an ODI in 2013.
The opener also stated that if Dhoni intended to play the next World Cup in 2019, he should perform and not bank on his past achievements. “The only way he can survive till 2019 World Cup is by keep on performing. That should be the criteria for everyone, irrespective of whether he is Dhoni or someone else.”
“Okay, you have done something in the past but that’s passed. You can’t keep playing till you want to. At the same time I believe someone like Dinesh Karthik has been a massive loss for us because whenever he got an opportunity, he did well. He could have been your backup wicket-keeping option as well.”