Team is in transition, time to rethink and bounce back: Yuvraj on India’s UK tour debacle

Yuvraj Singh believes India's recent struggles should be viewed as part of a rebuilding phase, urging patience with the team's transition. The former all-rounder accepted criticism but reminded fans of India's recent success and called for introspection ahead of future challenges.

New Delhi: Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh believes India’s recent struggles on the tour of the United Kingdom should be viewed in the context of a team undergoing transition, urging patience while also calling for introspection after a disappointing run of results.

Reflecting on India’s campaign, Yuvraj said phases of inconsistency are inevitable when a side is rebuilding, but stressed that the team must now regroup and respond strongly.

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“When things aren’t going well, you start getting confused about whether to play fast bowlers or spinners. It would have been good to play a spinner, but at the end of the day, it’s the team’s call,” Yuvraj told JioStar.

His comments came in the wake of India’s decision to leave out left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the third ODI against England at Lord’s, where the visitors were beaten by 27 runs to concede the three-match series 2-1.

While acknowledging that criticism is a natural consequence of poor performances, Yuvraj reminded fans of the success India have enjoyed in recent years and cautioned against overlooking those achievements because of a difficult phase.

“You’ve won the Champions Trophy, you’ve won back-to-back T20 World Cups, and now you’ve lost six T20Is in a row. Somewhere down the line, the game levels everyone, and nobody is bigger than the game. That’s how the game reminds us of that. We need to understand it and accept the criticism,” he added.

The 2011 World Cup winner added that India’s current phase is part of a broader transition, with several new faces being integrated into the side, making short-term setbacks almost unavoidable.

“At the same time, people shouldn’t forget what this Indian team has achieved over the last couple of years, winning three major titles. The team is in transition, new players are coming in, and phases like these are bound to happen. Now it’s time to rethink and bounce back,” the former all-rounder stated.