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Yuvraj Singh earned his stripes as a finisher in one-day cricket. The NatWest Trophy finals, six sixes at the World Twenty20 championship and countless other similar knocks earned him plenty of fame. A one-day specialist who could hit big and long in the slog overs, he could both build or repair; be an aggressor or the last line of defence. India rejoiced in his dexterity.
A few other factors helped. He was an outstanding exception in bunch of laggards, who could leap, dive or scoop on a dying chance in front of him. He was a second-class citizen in a team of superstars who looked to occupy the vantage seat: open in ODIs and settle in the safety of the middle order in Tests.
Yuvraj suffered but it also gave him his profile.
Now comes another watershed moment in his career. He wants to bat in the first three or four slots in ODIs. It’s unlikely his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn’t accede to his request. Only, in pursuing so he would be guilty of doing the same what he accused his seniors of perpetuating in the first phase of his career.
Being the vice-captain, Yuvraj has this opportunity to choose the best for himself. But is that so for the team as well?
India have a young one-day team touring Sri Lanka at present. Most of them aren’t yet established. A failure of six or seven games is enough to push them in the backwaters of Indian cricket. A fate which befell the likes of Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan recently.
If Dhoni’s avowed aim is to build the team for the future; he needs to build the right fences and nurture them accordingly. Unfortunately, Yuvraj’s insistence runs contrary to team’s welfare.
It’s no secret any batsman of Indian origin would avoid batting in the middle-overs in the ongoing one-day series against Sri Lanka. The Mendis-Murali duo were like a knife to butter in the Test series. The biggest pros in international cricket, the Fabulous Four of the team, were no more than doddering idiots in front of the spin duo.
The lesser lights, the logic tells, would be even easier picks for the spin-twin in a format where scoring runs quickly is a bigger need than preserving your wicket. It’s the moment when the experienced pros need to put up their hands.
Yuvraj has chosen to do the exact opposite.
His recent behaviour suggests he is at the lowest ebb of his career at present. He is now a confirmed failure in Tests; his injured knee has put him in the “had-been” category of once a sizzling fielder.
He retained his vice-captaincy only because the power bloc of Indian board doesn’t know how to deal with the free spirit of a Virender Sehwag. The danger of being swamped and submerged by the onrush of youngsters is real.
Yuvraj largely has been a tale of unfulfilled promise. It’s easy for him to hide behind the plea that he wasn’t given enough chances in Tests or that he batted in most difficult slot in one-day arena. But he could never take the next step because he didn’t have the intelligence or the commitment to make the thrust.
His moment of truth has arrived.
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