Rahul Dravid Wants Selectors To Reassess MS Dhoni And Yuvraj Singh's Role Before 2019 World Cup

With India’s next big assignment in 50-overs cricket set to be the 2019 World Cup in England, former India skipper Rahul Dravid has urged the selectors to take a call regarding the future of the team – especially senior players MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.

Both the veteran batsmen were a part of the Indian team that recently finished runners-up to Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy but failed to make any big impact. Yuvraj began the tournament with a quickfire knock of 53 runs against Pakistan, his followed it with scores of 7, 23* and 22. On the other hand, Dhoni got to bat only twice in the tournament and while he scored 63 in the first one against Sri Lanka, he failed to bail the team out of trouble in the final match as he managed just 4 runs.

Both the batsmen had scored centuries in the England series at the start of this year but Dravid feels the selectors should take a call on their future, keeping in mind the next World Cup.

“It is a call that is got to be taken by the selectors and the management,” Dravid told ‘ESPNCricinfo’ when asked about future of Yuvraj and Dhoni, who were the team’s number four and five in the Champions Trophy.

“And what they see as the road map for Indian cricket, and where they see the role of both these cricketers going ahead for the next couple of years. Is there a place for both of them? Is there a place for only one of them?

“Do you want to reassess it in a year’s time, six months’ time? Do you want to look at the available talent and see what they have to offer before going back to these two players,” he elaborated further.

India’s next assignment is a five-match One-Day International series in the West Indies beginning Friday (June 23) with a full strength squad except for Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. In the recent past, India has generally given youngsters the chance to prove themselves against the likes of West Indies, Zimbabwe and Dravid hope the youngsters get a chance in the upcoming series too.

“They have taken a decision to go to the West Indies with a full-strength squad. I really hope they are willing to experiment at least in the playing XI and give more opportunities to people.

“If you don’t do that, suddenly you don’t want to come to a situation and, say, in a year’s time, where you say, ‘We haven’t given people chances so these are the only guys we have got.”

“Better position to be in: ‘We have tried everything else, but we still feel that Yuvi and Dhoni are fit, they are playing very well, and they are the guys to see us through.’ And no one will complain about that,” he said.

Dravid further said that the time has come to take a tough call on the spinners of the team. India spin spearheads, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had enjoyed highly successful home season on turning tracks but struggled to do well on flat pitches in the Champions Trophy. Jadeja managed to pick up only 4 wickets in 5 matches while Ashwin picked up a solitary wicket in 3 outings.

With finger spinners struggling on unfavorable pitches, the legendary batsman batted for chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav who has been selected in the squad for the series in Caribbeans

“We are playing on really flat wickets. It is tough on them, and … it is not happening. If you want wickets in the middle, wrist-spinners and mystery spinners are the ones who look like taking wickets on some of these flat wickets with the fielding restrictions,” said Dravid.

“It is nice to have Kuldeep Yadav coming in. He needs to be given a lot more game time. He has got an ability, he has got a bit of mystery about him,” he added.