India last won a World Cup under MS Dhoni’s captaincy in 2011 on home soil and in spite of doing great in a few ICC competitions from that point forward, Virat Kohli couldn’t lead the group to a World Cup title. Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who was the Man of the Series in the 2011 World Cup won by India, shared his perspectives on why Team India battled in the last two World Cups.

In an exclusive interaction on Home of Heroes, a Sports18 offering, Yuvraj Singh says India needs to track down expert batsmen in the middle order to succeed.

India cricket team
Yuvraj Singh [photo: Twitter]

Planning Was Wrong In The 2019 World Cup: Yuvraj Singh

Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh says the absence of planning in the middle order has harmed India at ICC tournaments. “When we won the World Cup (2011), we all had a set position to bat,” says Yuvraj, who won the Player of the Tournament in that edition of the 50-over showpiece. “I felt 2019 World Cup; they didn’t plan it well.”

Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid in WC 2003 against PAK [photo: Twitter]
Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid in WC 2003 against PAK [photo: Twitter]
Yuvraj says the steady slash and change didn’t help the team’s goal at the 2019 World Cup. “They got Vijay Shankar to bat at #4 with just 5-7 ODIs, then they replaced him with Rishabh Pant, who had played 4 ODIs,” says Yuvraj, who felt an in-form Ambati Rayadu’s experience would have served India better. “When we played the 2003 World Cup, Mohd. Kaif, (Dinesh) Mongia and I had already played 50-odd ODIs.”

Similar Issues In The Recent T20 World Cup As Well: Yuvraj Singh

The former middle-order lynchpin says the side has a similar issue even in T20 cricket. “Our middle-order (batsmen) in T20 bats higher in franchise cricket,” Yuvraj says, emphasizing that batting positions should be allocated to the players earmarked for the World Cup. “That is where we lacked in the last T20 World Cup.”

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Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (Image Source: Twitter)

India has not won an ICC competition since its victory in 2011 and has its eyes set on switching its fortune up in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

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