'Rohit Sharma will go berserk at 2023 World Cup': Yuvraj sets the record straight, reveals pep talk with India captain

Yuvraj Singh, an unwavering pillar of support for Rohit Sharma, has backed the captain to set the World Cup 2023 on fire.

Yuvraj Singh knows a thing or two about winning the World Cup. A two-time winner, Yuvraj was outstanding for India during their triumphs in 2007 and 2011, contributing with both bat and ball. His unforgettable 6 sixes off Stuart Broad, followed by a 34-ball 70 against Australia in the semifinal was a catalyst behind India winning the first ever T20 World Cup in South Africa. Four years later, Yuvraj's resurgence was evident once again four years later, where he clinched the coveted Player of the Tournament title, amassing 352 runs and grabbing 15 wickets.

Yuvraj Singh had a hunch about Rohit Sharma's peak at the 2019 World Cup as well. (Getty Images)

While Yuvraj was leaving his mark on Indian cricket during the late 2000s and early 2010s, a budding talent was quietly ascending the ranks. Rohit Sharma, who was Yuvraj's teammate during the 2007 T20 World Cup and had played crucial knocks against South Africa, and Pakistan in the final, found himself grappling with a decline in both form and fitness as time went on.

This unfortunate turn of events led to Rohit missing out on the glory of India's 2011 World Cup victory. Fast forward to 12 years, Rohit has the chance to right all the wrongs when he leads India to a World Cup at home. As he tries to erase the pain of all the knockout defeats India have endured in the last 10 years, Yuvraj, one of Rohit's biggest supporters, has backed the India captain to set the World Cup on fire.

"I understand that Rohit Sharma is not in the best of forms right now. Last time also before the 2019 World Cup, he was not in good form in the IPL. And I told him that something special is coming, just be in the zone. And he went on to score 4-5 hundreds in the World Cup. So maybe he is not in the greatest form right now because he will go berserk at the World Cup. You never know. Everything happens for a reason. The same thing happened with me, and that's what Sachin told me," Yuvraj said on the Cricket Basu YouTube channel.

Contrary to what Yuvraj mentioned, Rohit did not have an ordinary IPL in 2019 - he scored 405 runs and led Mumbai Indians to a fourth title. Later, once the World Cup came knocking, Rohit took his batting to extraordinary levels, capping off the tournament with 648 runs, only 25 short of matching Sachin Tendulkar's 673, which is still a record for the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup. Rohit's exceptional World Cup campaign saw him notch an astonishing five centuries, surpassing Kumar Sangakkara's previous mark of four set in 2015.

A good captain needs a good team, says Yuvra

Since taking over as India's captain, not much has gone in Rohit's favour. Despite starting strong, India failed to make the final of the Asia Cup last year, and although the team did well to reach the semifinal of the T20 World Cup in Australia, they faced the heartbreak of yet another semi-final defeat following a crushing loss to England. Amid all this, India even lost an ODI series in Bangladesh, the first time in 7 years and the once-fiery overseas success too has been on the wane.

There aren't too many arguments to defend Rohit, except for one crucial factor – the absence of key players due to injuries. Potent forces like Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant have been absent, depriving Rohit of their support on his quest for an ICC title. Weighing in on this matter, Yuvraj pointed out that for Rohit to prosper, he requires the favourable circumstances that benefitted MS Dhoni during his time as captain.

"Rohit has become a very good leader because he has captained Mumbai Indians for such a long time. And he is a very sensible guy under pressure. But the point is, no matter how sensible the captain is, you will have to give him a good team, which is experienced. MS Dhoni was a good captain but he had an equally good team at his arsenal with experienced players. They all played some special knocks and produced special spells. People have to put their hands up when there is pressure and say that 'I am going to take my team through. I don't see that happening," added Yuvraj.