Yuvraj Singh Picks Three Indian Players Who Can Emulate His Heroics For India

“Who will be the next Yuvraj Singh for Team India?” A question that the nation has been looking for an answer to for a long time, despite that his shoes are perhaps too big for anyone to fill.

A dashing but graceful power-hitter, a more-than-just-handy bowler, a gun fielder, Yuvraj Singh performed the role in India’s white-ball team like only a few have done over the past couple of decades for their country.

The southpaw is a two-time World Cup winner: the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, making significant contributions to India’s success in both and bagging the Man of the Tournament award in the latter.

Who will be the next Yuvraj Singh for India? The all-rounder answers himself:

The 39-year-old has picked three players who can do the role he used to do – whether in batting, especially in the lower-order, or in the all-rounder’s role.

He believes that in Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja, the Men in Blue has got some serious power-hitters in the middle-order. Yuvraj Singh hails the “dynamic duo” of Pant and Pandya as two proper finishers and complete marauders of the cricket ball – Hardik also gives the extra bowling option when fit – while he also lauds the improvement of Jadeja as a complete all-rounder in the past few years.

“I probably don’t see any left-hander right now in the middle. Overall, we have got some good hitters in the middle. We have got Rishabh (Pant). We have got Hardik (Pandya). I think Rishabh and Hardik together as they play more one-day and T20 together, they both will be quite a dynamic duo, batting together,” Yuvraj Singh told the Times of India.

He also pointed out that with Pant, Pandya, and Jadeja, the team will more often have the left-right combination going on, as he did with MS Dhoni in their glory days.

“You have Ravindra Jadeja coming in. So, these three guys can change the course of the game anytime. Jadeja has improved by leaps and bounds in one-day cricket and T20 cricket. The left-right combination is always dangerous, as I and MS Dhoni were. So, I am looking forward to seeing Rishabh, Hardik, and Jadeja bat at the 5,6, and 7 slots,” he added.

Pant and Jadeja are currently in England for the Test assignments – WTC final which India lost last month, and the upcoming Test series with England next month. Pandya will be seen in action soon in the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka.

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