BCCI Selection committee chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth on Friday hailed Yuvraj Singh’s return to international cricket and said the left-hander will be an important factor for the Indian team’s success in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.
“We are very happy that Yuvraj Singh has been declared fit. Yuvraj is a very crucial factor. If he gets going he can win matches single-handedly for us. Don’t forget 2007 T20 World Cup (won by India in South Africa), he was the man of the series,” Srikkanth said.
“In 2011 World Cup too, he was man of the series. We hope he continues in the same vein. And he has fought his way back.
We really appreciate the kind of efforts put in by Yuvraj. He will be a great factor from Indian cricket’s point of view.
“It is very good to see Yuvraj back with the Indian team starting with the World Cup T20. I am sure with this kind of combination that we have selected, we will definitely have a great chance of winning the T20 World Cup,” he added.
About the Test selection, the former India captain insisted that the selected team was the best though there were hardly any changes from the squads, barring Rahul Dravid who has retired, that were whitewashed in England and Australia.
“We had a long discussion. What we have taken into account is the immediate, that is the New Zealand series and we thought the team we selected was the best. We want to get back into the winning ways,” Srikkanth told reporters in Mumbai.
Referring to the T20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka from September 18 to October 7, the former India opener said factors like mental strength and conditions that the team will encounter has been taken into consideration.
Really good players have been selected for the Indian cricket team which is scheduled to play two T20 matches against New Zealand and participate in the World Cup championship. The BCCI Selection Committee Chairman Srikkanth's expectation that this team can win the World Cup is well-justified.The inclusion of players like Yuvraj Singh, Balaji and Ishant Sharma is a positive move which should pay rich dividends.
Well.. The Indian selectors are high on rhetoric. And knowing that the T-20 championship is going to be held in SriLanka , which is part of the Indian Subcontinent, our cricket selectors are entering into braggadocio.
Just a spate of some wins in Srilanka is enough to boost the confidence of Indian team , which was completely vanquished in Australia and England.
When it comes to big tours and stronger teams, our cricket team performs pusillanimously .
And against weaker teams, we pose as if we were the champions.
This kind of the yardstick to determine the performance of the Indian team needs to be changed.
I believe Team India is again on a path of repeating past mistakes and relearning old lessons. Our veterans who are long past their prime are being brought back which will end with India being defeated convincingly. Shudder when I think of Laxman's performance with the bat and on the field in Australia. Gate keepers in the process of keeping out true talent are defeating the collective selfbelief of a nation of cricket loving people. Pride in the nation's achievements is one of the few pleasures of many an impoverished individual and family. Do wish our leaders and managers always led and managed with courage and selflessness to the cause of the nation above the individual. If our leaders do not commit to a philosophy of selection based on consistency, merit, mastery-based talent, the greater good of every individual and the country, we are inviting collective disenchantment, loss of faith and hopelessness.We will be a nation of latent potential not allowed to manifest by leadership.
India's ODI and T20 teams are top notch and I agree with Srikanth that
Indian cricket team is very capable of winning T20 in September with talents like Kohli,Tiwary,Raina and veterans like Dhoni,Gambhir,Shewag
Zaheer and Ifran back in excellent form. What I want to see is how godd is the Indian test team. We'll know that shortly when they play New Zealand whom India should defeat 2-0 and India has an excellent chance of moving up the IOC ranks again by defeating both England and Aussies at home in the coming series.
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