Yuvraj Singh slams Indian team management for poor planning during 2019 World Cup
What's the story?
Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh slammed the Indian cricket team management for poor planning during 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup where Virat Kohli's men exited in the semi-finals.
The Background
Given their dominance throughout the robin-robin stage where they won seven out of the nine matches (game against New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled), India were expected to go all the way in the marquee event.
A heart-breaking 18-run defeat in the semi-final against New Zealand where a majority of the batsmen except MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja failed to get going while chasing a moderate 240 runs left the whole nation shattered. Though the bowlers gave their best in restricting Kane Williamson's men to 239-8, the batting collapse saw India eliminating from the quadrennial event once again in semi-finals after 2015.
The heart of the matter
Speaking on the sidelines of the Expo 2020 Dubai cricket final, Yuvraj Singh criticised the Indian team management for poor planning and for making some' really bad calls' during the 2019 World Cup. Yuvraj told Sport360,
"I just felt that the 2019 World Cup planning was really poor. I think that the team management and selectors made some really bad calls – before the World Cup and in the World Cup – and that is what cost them. They should (win a major title). With the amount of talent that they have in the form of the players and squad, they really should."
India's 2007 T20 and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup winning-hero who stressed the importance of having better minds behind the scene and better selectors, but was upbeat about Sourav Ganguly's appointment as the BCCI President.
"I think Sourav Ganguly coming in as BCCI president will give a lot of brain to it in making such things better." The 38-year-old who cited poor planning and lack of vision for India's failures in ICC tournamnets since 2011, was optimistic when asked about the team's chances at 2020 ICC T20 World Cup. The southpaw said,
"We have the talent no doubt, we just need a good think tank, and hopefully, we will be ready for the coming T20I World Cup in Australia"
What's next?
Despite playing exceptionally well, the Men in Blue have failed to go all the way in the ICC tournaments in the past five-six years (2014 ICC T20 World Cup, 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup). They need to break the knockout-stage jinx which has been a major concern for them in major tournaments to have any chances of claiming the glory at 2020 T20 World Cup.
Also read: Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh turn photographers for each other at the Sydney Cricket Ground