Leaving out Yuvraj Singh in 4 bowler set-up is impossible: MS Dhoni

 

All praise for Yuvraj Singh’s small but notable contributions in India’s T20 World Cup campaign so far, skipper MS Dhoni said the all-rounder, who returned to cricket after beating cancer, is an indispensable part of his T20 line-up.

Yuvraj, playing his first international event after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, has been in decent form both with the bat and ball besides making his mark as an agile fielder.

The 30-year-old effected a run out, picked up two crucial wickets besides contributing 19 runs with the bat in the Super Eight win against Pakistan last night which kept India’s chances of making the semifinals alive.

“If we look at our combination, we play seven batsmen and you can’t leave out someone like Yuvraj Singh. We had never considered the option of leaving out Yuvraj,” Dhoni said at the post-match press conference.

“Our bowling line-up is such that we need a left-arm bowler who can take the ball away from the batsman. Also he is a brilliant fielder as you saw with the run-out today,” he added.

Yuvraj’s fitness has been questioned by former India captain Ravi Shastri but Dhoni feels that the senior player is certainly fit for this format.

After the hammering his bowlers received at the hands of Australia, Dhoni felt that they recovered well to have a “good day” in office.

“We don’t have 145 kmph bowlers. We have bowlers who are slightly slower but do have the skill to get opposition batsmen out. But they need some help from the wicket in order to perform. During last match, the rain really made it difficult for them to grip the ball,” Dhoni said.

 

South Africa have already lost two matches and look like bowing out from Super Eights and Dhoni felt that not “clicking as a unit has been their problem.”

“They have a complete side with two good fast bowlers, Jacques Kallis, two spinners. They have batsmen like AB (De Villiers), Hashim Amla and Duminy. But then in this format, you need to click as a team.

“You need one guy to score 50 and lot of other guys need to play those little 15, 20 run innings. Unless you have a Chris Gayle in your side who can alone make the difference that shifts the momentum in your favour.”