5 reasons why Yuvraj Singh made a comeback into the Indian ODI team

Indian fans finally got what they were all waiting for as Yuvraj Singh was picked for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against England. The 35-year-old all-rounder last played for India in March 2016 but will be present in India’s last two limited-overs series before the ICC Champions Trophy.

While the fans might have got what they wanted, critics will claim that the selection of a 35-year-old who last played an ODI in December 2013 against South Africa is a step in the wrong direction ahead of a major tournament.

Extra Cover: India vs England 2016: Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin back in both ODI and T20I squads

But the current group of selectors led by MSK Prasad have shown that they pick teams on the basis of performance rather than past history, so let us take a look at why the veteran all-rounder might have been picked for the ODI side.

Here are 5 reasons why Yuvraj Singh made a comeback into the Indian ODI team:

#1 Experience

No player in the current Indian side has played more ODIs than Yuvraj Singh, not even MS Dhoni. With 293 ODIs to his name, there can be little doubting the amount of experience that Yuvraj Singh brings to the table and that might have been one of the major reasons behind his selection.

Over 8,000 runs and 100 wickets cement his legacy as one of India’s finest all-rounders and among the best middle-order batsman to have played ODIs and his wealth of experience will be a huge boost to the middle-order which is still relatively inexperienced despite the presence of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

While it is true that he hasn't played an ODI for India since 2013 and has only represented the country in T20Is since then, he has shown with his performances in this year’s Ranji Trophy that he is still more than capable of playing a long innings.