Yuvraj Singh urges India to give Yashasvi Jaiswal more ODI opportunities before World Cup

Yuvraj Singh has urged India's team management to give Yashasvi Jaiswal more ODI opportunities before the World Cup, saying inadequate match practice could leave the opener under pressure if called upon during the tournament, particularly in the event of injuries.

New Delhi: Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has urged the team management to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a longer run in the ODI setup ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, warning that a lack of match practice could leave the young opener under immense pressure if called upon during the tournament.

Speaking amid discussions around India’s squad composition following the ODI series against England, Yuvraj said his biggest concern was not the absence of senior players but the limited opportunities being given to Jaiswal despite his recent performances.

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“From a player’s point of view, it hurts when you’re not there. From another perspective, you can understand that maybe they wanted younger players. At that time, there were Dhoni and I, both 36 or 37, going into the World Cup, and the team management had to make a decision,” Yuvraj told JioStar.

Drawing from his own experience ahead of the 2019 World Cup cycle, Yuvraj said difficult selection calls are part of international cricket, but stressed that India’s planning for the next global event must ensure that reserve players are adequately prepared.

“More than Virat and Rohit, my concern is that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has scored two hundreds in the last four games, is not starting. If the World Cup comes and he hasn’t had enough game time, he’s suddenly going to feel the pressure. Somewhere down the line, he needs more game time before the World Cup if he is in the plans,” he added.

Yuvraj noted that unforeseen injuries can force teams to make last-minute changes, exposing inexperienced players to the biggest stage.

“If someone gets injured, then what do you do? We’ve seen that happen before. In the 2019 World Cup, an injury meant two young players came in without enough experience. You don’t want to make the same mistakes of the past,” he stated.

Jaiswal has impressed whenever given opportunities in recent ODIs, but has not been a regular starter as India continue to finalise combinations ahead of the World Cup.