Veteran Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh reckons that MS Dhoni’s presence is crucial to India’s chances at the ICC World Cup 2019 as he is a “guiding” force for current captain Virat Kohli and “important” in decision-making. Dhoni’s place in the Indian team has been put under scrutiny a lot of times because of his inconsistent form but many, including former skipper Sunil Gavaskar, have said that his tremendous grasp of match situations makes him invaluable.
Yuvraj, the 2011 World Cup’s player of the tournament, echoed the sentiment when asked about the Dhoni factor here at an interaction. He said, “I think Mahi (Dhoni) has a great cricket brain. And as a wicket-keeper, you are in the best position to monitor the game and he has done that fantastically over the years. He has been a great captain. (He is) with the young players and guiding Virat (Kohli) all the time.”
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He further added, “So, I feel his presence is very important in decision-making. He had a fantastic tournament in Australia and it is good to see him hit the ball how he used to do, and I wish him all the best.”
When asked about his ideal batting position, Yuvraj Singh said: “That you have to ask Dhoni, which number he has to bat.”
But Yuvraj steered clear of queries on which batting position Dhoni should come in. Yuvi will be plying his trade for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL and said he will look to ease the pressure on skipper Rohit Sharma.
Talking about the same, Singh said, “I think, if I can contribute in the middle-order, it will just take some weight off him (Rohit) and he can just go and play his natural game, while opening. (We will) see how the combinations (go).”
Yuvraj also was pleased with rising of teams like Vidarbha, Gujarat, and Saurashtra in the domestic circuit.
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The veteran all-rounder further elaborated, “Very impressed with Vidarbha, they have got some great players. They have got an outstanding coach — Chandrakant Pandit — who’s definitely got the best out of the team. Also impressed with how domestic cricket is improving, the other teams are improving…Saurashtra is playing well, Gujarat has also been playing very well, so it is good to see that in domestic cricket.”
