Sunil Gavaskar believes Yuvraj Singh is a necessity in the Indian World T20 squad
On January 31, India registered their first ever clean sweep against Australia down under in a bilateral series as they beat the Aussies by seven wickets in a last ball thriller at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). India were chasing a stiff target of 198 and started off really well, scoring 74 runs in the first six overs. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma continued their excellent form as both went on to score fifty.
However, in the 13th over, all the responsibilities fell on Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh’s shoulders after both Kohli and Rohit were dismissed. While Raina got going with some clever shots, Yuvraj struggled to find the rhythm. The flamboyant batsman, who had not gotten a chance to bat in the two previous T20 matches, was clearly rusty. He struggled for timing and had crawled to five off nine deliveries. It looked like if the nightmare of the World T20 finals against Sri Lanka is hunting him again.
But this time, around the stylish left-handed batsman came back strong when the team needed 17 runs from the last six balls. He flicked the first ball to square-leg for a boundary and then hit a massive six over mid-wicket to guide India towards victory.
Those two big hits by Yuvraj eased the pressure and Raina got India over the line with a boundary of the last delivery to seal a thrilling win which completed the 3-0 whitewash of Australia. Yuvraj also performed with the ball picking up the important wicket of Glenn Maxwell of his first delivery in the second T20I.
Yuvraj has to be part of the playing XI for the ICC World Twenty20: Gavaskar
After Indian historic win at SCG on Sunday, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar said India needed to show patience with their best match-winner.
The batting legend said, "Yuvraj has not lost his power. He is a brilliant fielder and he gets you wickets. He is a plus. India must be patient with him. Yuvraj gets wickets in Australia. On the sub-continent, where the pitches offer to turn, he has to be part of the XI for the ICC World Twenty20".
Suresh Raina One of the Best Readers of T20 format: Gavaskar
Gavaskar also praised Suresh Raina for his calm knock of 49 of just 25 balls. The left-hander, who was dropped for the ODI series, survived a missed stumping chance and made Australia pay. His skills at the death made the difference between the sides.
The Mumbai-born cricketer said, "In Twenty20s, there is no better reader of the format than Raina. The way he and Yuvraj held their nerve in this big chase is commendable." He also said that this is the Indian XI which should play in the upcoming World Twenty20 in March. He said, "The balance of the team is good. This is the playing XI that I would like to see in the World Twenty20".