MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh: Both Might Have The Opportunity To Play The 2019 World Cup

MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh were once considered the backbone of India’s batting lineup and while both have played some incredible and match winning innings in their careers, when MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh have partnered in their prime, oppositions have struggled to keep the Kookaburra within the stadium.

But the same has not been the came in recent times and while MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh are considered the most senior as well as experienced players in the squad, their performances have not done any good to the team despite them getting all the time to settle in. During the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final at the Oval, when MS Dhoni joined Yuvraj Singh at the crease, the two poster boys of the 21st century were once again together and it looked like Pakistan was going to get a beating of a lifetime and India will become the first ever team to successfully defend the Champions Trophy title.

However, despite MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh having registered their respective fifties in the group stages, they again failed to change the pace of the scoreboard despite facing a good number of balls to settle in, and India faced an 180-runs defeat against arch rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final.

Also Read: 5 Memorable Stands Between MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh 

Their under-par performance continued in the India vs West Indies series and this has triggered questions over MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh’s future as demands from the cricket fraternity for the selectors to take a call on two of India’s champion cricketers have gained a pace. While Yuvraj Singh has clearly stated that he would like to continue playing till his form and fitness remain, the former India skipper, MS Dhoni has not given any over his future.

However, it is also a reality that Men In Blue still need some time to groom their youngsters to fill the expected void created after the exit of MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh from the middle-order. Also, MS Dhoni is amongst the best wicketkeepers in the world right now and the Indian selectors haven’t yet found a replacement to the 35-year-old as well. We saw a Rishabh Pant being groomed by MS Dhoni himself during the West Indies tour but the youngster still has a lot to prove before stepping into latter’s shoes.

Maintaining suspense over the future of veteran cricketers MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh in limited overs squad, chief selector MSK Prasad has also issued a statement saying, the decision on the issue will be taken at right time.

He said, “We will see, we need to talk on that. We will have to take a decision, let’s see how it goes. We all know who can add value. Again, we will go slot by slot. We should know when to take a call. It’s not that suddenly you take a call and you are nowhere. You can’t be totally unprepared, so we need to be balanced on that aspect.”

MSK Prasad added, “The best thing that happened to the Indian team was that the Champions Trophy was in England. This has really opened our mind in many aspects and we know what our real strengths are. The Indian team did really well and there are a few shortcomings that we have noticed, and maybe we will fix those shortcomings in the coming 18 to 20 months that we have leading up to the 2019 World Cup.”

The matter of fact is, critics have started pointed out that MS Dhoni’s finishing abilities are on the wane due to his inability to end games with the bat just like he used to before and Yuvraj Singh, on the other hand, after making comeback to the Indian limited overs squad for the first time since 2013 and registering his career best of 150 runs against England, has been struggling to recreate the same magic.

Now, considering that MS Dhoni has retired from Tests anymore and Yuvraj Singh doesn’t look like the best option for the longest format, the dynamic-duo will have to recreate the magic of their heydays for every limited-over series which comes their way. After the three-Test series against Sri Lanka ends, India will play five ODIs and a T20I, and this is where they have to initiate the scheme of things.

MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh are the modern day legends of the Indian team, however, going forward, every series will turn out to be a test for them, given that the Virat Kohli-led team will play a lot of away cricket and several youngsters are breathing down their neck to take over.

But if the management decides to let go of MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh, do you think that the youngsters, who are expected to fill the void, has enough time to learn the depth as well as the importance of their roles and cement their spot in the Indian squad?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below and tell us who do you think can replace either of these two players?