Are we seeing the end of Yuvraj Singh?

Does Yuvraj still have it in him to make another Indian team comeback? 

There are very few cricketers who have as much fan-following as Yuvraj Singh. Despite the best years of his career being well past him, the comeback man of Indian cricket can boast of plenty of support from well-wishers as he once again finds himself out of contention from the national side’s plans. He has done it time and time again, but with age catching up with Yuvraj, even the most die-hard fans will be fearing the worst as far as his latest comeback bid is concerned. 

Yuvraj Singh has already established his legacy in Indian cricket with the role he played in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup victory. Player of the series in both tournaments, Yuvraj shined with both bat and ball and the energy he brought onto the field was yet another asset to his game.

His abilities were no secret as he showed with his impressive ODI debut as an 18-year-old in 2000 and that indomitable spirit has never faded away as we saw with the way he made his comeback from his battle with cancer. 

However, after being overlooked for the recent T20 series against the West Indies followed by the underwhelming performances during the Duleep Trophy, Yuvraj has it all to do if he wants to make yet another comeback to the Indian team. With the Men in Blue heading into a new era under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, things doesn’t look too optimistic for Yuvraj, one has to say. 

Time running out for Yuvraj 

Despite his many match-winning knocks for the Indian cricket team, the one innings that his detractors will time and again point out to is his knock of 11 runs from 21 balls against Sri Lanka in the final of the 2014 World T20 that MS dhoni’s men eventually went on to lose. Many felt that it was the end of the road for the left-handed batsman who didn’t impress in his quest for a recall with his below-par performances in the domestic circuit since that fateful day. 

Needless to say, it was a big surprise when he was picked for the T20 series against Australia in 2016 with the national selectors hoping that his big-match experience will come in hand with the 2016 World T20 just months ahead. Though not as impressive a comeback as Ashish Nehra’s, Yuvraj did enough to secure a place in the World T20 squad and was a regular in the side until injury robbed him of his place ahead of the semi-final against eventual champions West Indies.

India’s next T20I came against the very same side but Yuvraj was not selected despite being fit and available as the selectors made it clear that they were planning ahead with the next major ICC tournaments in mind. Yuvraj, now 34, has made his intentions pretty clear that he wants to play the 2019 World T20 which he has set himself as a goal.

But with a number of talented youngsters waiting in the wings, it might just be the end of the road for Yuvraj as far as international cricket is concerned.