Yuvraj Singh wanted to mentor the team, says chief selector MSK Prasad
What’s the story?
India’s chief selector MSK Prasad revealed that Yuvraj Singh wanted to play the role of a mentor in the Indian team, before he was picked in the squad to face England in the three-match ODI and T20I series.
“I had a long, casual chat with him. He told me that he wanted to play the senior, mentor’s role in the Indian team. We thought that he still had the hunger to play. We saw that if given opportunity, he will definitely give it his best shot, along with mentoring the team as a senior player,” said MSK Prasad in an interview with Times of India after the end of the Irani Cup match.
In case you didn’t know...
When Yuvraj was picked in the Indian limited-over squads, the panel led by MSK Prasad faced a lot of heat and received criticism for their inexperience as they had played very few matches for India before taking up the role of selectors.
But, the move proved to be a masterstroke as the dashing southpaw scored 210 runs in three matches at an average of 70. He now looks set to earn himself a place in the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy. Out of the three knocks, one was his career-best ODI score of 150 and it came when the Men in Blue were struggling at 25/3.
The heart of the matter
Prasad revealed that all the selectors watched the southpaw closely before they picked him in the Indian team. According to him, both the selectors and the team management were confident about his fitness levels and the hunger to play.
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When Yuvraj had a chat with Prasad, the Punjab batsman expressed his desire to mentor younger players in the team as a senior player and as a result of that, the selectors showed trust in him and picked him in the squad.
What's next?
After a successful ODI series, Yuvraj will look to continue his good form in the T20I series and answer his critics in the best possible manner. In all likelihood, he will be in the Indian team that will tour England to play in the Champions Trophy. The 35-year-old will look to lead the team to victory in the only ICC tournament he is yet to win (he was in the Indian squad when India ‘shared’ the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002) in his illustrious career.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Yuvraj has vast experience at the highest level and has won many tournaments with India. His desire to mentor the youngsters in the team is a brilliant one as their game will only improve when they seek advice from someone so experienced.