Importance Of Yuvraj And MS Dhoni In Kohli’s Team
Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni rolled back the years in the second ODI against England at Cuttack. The two stalwarts in the team lead to a match winning total after the fall of 3 quick wickets. All hope looked lost when Virat Kohli got out, but these two had a different plan in their minds.
As a result of the sensational partnership between Yuvraj and Dhoni, India wrapped up the series. There is no doubt that these two seniors in the team are here to stay for the near future.
The legendary partnership
Whenever India needed a partnership to develop, Yuvraj and Dhoni have always contributed. They have shared many fond memories with each other on the field. It was MS Dhoni who was on the other end when Yuvraj Singh smashed Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over. Fast forward 4 years, and it was this legendary pair that put on an unbeaten 54 run partnership to win the ICC Cricket World Cup at the Wankhede stadium.
India has no bigger rival in cricket that Pakistan. These two have not disappointed against them either. When India toured them in 2006, Yuvraj and Dhoni put up two match winning 100+ run partnerships to make sure India went back home with a thumping 4-1 series victory.
Invaluable experience: Yuvraj and MS Dhoni
India’s batting order is full of inexperienced players. It would put too much pressure on the likes of KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya if they play in a team without a few established senior players. With Yuvraj and Dhoni in the team, these new players can learn immensely from them. This is exactly why Kohli has been very adamant about having Yuvraj Singh back in the team.
These two legendary figures have guided India to big victories in the past and as the match in Cuttack showed that they are still capable of doing it. MS Dhoni benefited greatly due to the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid when he started his reign. Virat Kohli would love to have the same kind of influence by these two seniors in the first few years of his captaincy.
How long can they last?
Although right now their presence in the team is necessity given the lack of experience in the team, there will be a time soon when these two would move on from the Indian team. Knowing Kohli, he would have already started thinking about winning the world cup in 2019. But can these two last till then?
There is no doubt that there is no wicket-keeper batsman at the level of MS Dhoni in India. He is miles ahead of his closest competitors for the spot. Given his fitness track record there is little doubt that he’d remain fit for the big event in 2 years time. Even if he isn’t there is pretty much no one Indian who’d still be close to his level.
On the other hand Yuvraj’s place isn’t as secured as Dhoni’s. There are loads of talented batsmen knocking on the doors of Indian cricket. Given the importance Kohli gives to fielding standards, Yuvraj will have to work doubly hard on his fitness and make sure that his batting form doesn’t drop.
For now we can enjoy watching the most elegant batsman ever and the coolest finisher ever take India to more such victories.
Picture Courtesy: Firstpost