After 408 days and 28 balls, Yuvraj Singh gets off the mark in Ranji Trophy
India’s explosive left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh, on Wednesday, played a Ranji Trophy match after 408 days. The encounter between Punjab and Delhi commenced at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in the national capital on 28 November.
Although Delhi were bundled out for a meagre 107 runs in the first innings, their bowlers fought tooth and nail when the Punjab team came out to bat. The first two batsmen had to depart for a duck, and it was then that Yuvraj Singh finally came in to bat.
For his first run, however, Yuvraj had to play as many as 28 deliveries. The star Indian batsman failed to convert his start into a big score and got out for 24 runs off 88 deliveries.
Often called the 'sixer king', Yuvraj did not score a single six on this innings but managed to hit four boundaries.
Out of the Test side for 6 years
The Player of the Tournament at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Yuvraj has been out of the Indian side for over a year now. He played his last ODI and T20 game for India in 2017, and has been in the reckoning for selection since.
As far as the Test side is concerned, Yuvraj has been out of favor for as many as six years. Although he has repeatedly expressed his desire to make a comeback into the Indian team, the probability of that seems highly unlikely.
Coach Ravi Shastri has already clarified that he doesn't want to make too many changes to the present set of players. In that case, somebody like a Yuvraj Singh may well have to wait longer to try and attempt a comeback.
A good run in the ongoing Ranji Trophy could have possibly persuaded the selectors to consider his name for the limited overs squad. But with the head coach (Shastri) making his intentions clear, that may be a very small window which Yuvraj will have to forcefully burst open if he wants to make a comeback.
India have 13 ODIs remaining before the World Cup, and are set to play their campaign opener in England against South Africa on June 5. That is a very small window of opportunity for any player to force his way into the side, let alone a player on the wrong side of 30.
Released by IPL franchise
The auctions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) are all set to take place on 18th December 2018. Prior to that, all the teams have announced their list of retained players for the next season.
Although big names like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma continue to play for their respective franchises, players like Yuvraj and Gambhir have been released and will have to go through the auctions to get a team for themselves.
Yuvraj had been drafted into the Kings XI Punjab for his base price of 2 crore rupees. But after a forgettable season with the bat last year, the franchise thought it wise to release him.
Considering all this, the Ranji Trophy may be Yuvraj's best bet to remain in the thick of the cricket action for now. Which is why both he and his fans would be happy to see that he is finally off the mark in the tournament after a gap of 408 long days.