Often when Yuvraj Singh’s place in the Test side is questioned, and it is often, his supporters will turn around and say: “When he is in form, he looks so good.”
But then again, tell us, which batsman looks bad when he is good form? Well, maybe Shivnarine Chanderpaul. But no one else comes to mind.
As soon as Yuvraj Singh was clean bowled in second innings of the first Test against West Indies at Kotla with India needing just one run to win the match, he sunk to his knees. His head was bowed and he looked at the ground – seemingly frozen in the spot.
On the larger scale, this wicket did nothing. India still won the match. West Indies still lost. But on an individual scale, the loose, almost casual defensive shot could come back to haunt Yuvraj very soon. Add the fact that in terms of poor shot selection, it almost matched his disastrous shot in the first innings and the left-hander has a problem.
There are times when he’s been unfortunate but at some point, you have to make your own luck. He’s done it enough times in ODIs to know what needs to done. And he should also realise that the only reason he has made comeback after comeback after comeback into the Test team is because someone in the selection committee believes in his talent. But if talent leads you to play a casual shot in a Test match, then India can do without it.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Cheteshwar Pujara… to mention just a few, are all waiting for a chance. They are hungry. They are young and they want in. And after eight years, Yuvraj should recognise that excelling and survival are two very different things. Right now, though, he is in danger of doing neither.
Contributed By: Siddharth Jha
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