New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): Legendary Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has stressed the importance of squad continuity and providing regular game time to players as India prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup, according to Cricinfo.
Yuvraj, who was named Player-of-the-Series in India's 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, said the team management should avoid making major changes close to the tournament and instead build a settled squad over the next year.
"They need to focus on building the same team to play in a year's time, because you don't want to make big changes at the last moment," Yuvraj told Cricinfo.
"Whoever your players are, whether they ardoe 16 or 20, it's important that everybody gets game time because obviously now there's more T20s and less 50-over cricket. Whatever matches there are, it's important that players get enough game time to prepare for the World Cup," he added.
Yuvraj said India have struggled in past tournaments when they made major changes at crucial stages and emphasised the need to back players selected for the World Cup campaign.
"Every time India have faltered is when they've made some massive changes at the last moment or in the tournament. So I think it's important that we stick to a team that we believe can lift the 2027 World Cup and stick by those guys whether they fail or succeed till that moment. Belief in the squad is very important," he said.
The former all-rounder also highlighted India's consistency in white-ball cricket and said the immediate focus should be on building a squad capable of handling different match situations.
"We have had a lot of consistency in white-ball cricket. They need to think of first qualifying for the semis and then going on to play in the last two [knockout matches]. I think that's a long way ahead. Focus should be to get a squad ready which is together and ready to fight in any situation," Yuvraj said.
Discussing team combinations, Yuvraj said teams should select players based on conditions while ensuring they have enough match-winners in the squad.
"Every country has a different set of players. Some teams have more allrounders, some teams have more specific batters and bowlers. You have to go with the best combination," he said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
"The best combination will always be 12, 13, 14 players and [pick the 15th] according to conditions. Whether you want to play an extra spinner, fast bowler or allrounder, you've got to go with the best. You've got to go with your top 11 match-winners who you feel can win the game," he added.
Yuvraj also pointed to Australia's World Cup success, saying their ability to rely on individual match-winners has been a key factor behind their achievements.
"That's the reason why Australia have been successful, because I believe that the Australian side, whenever they won World Cups, they've had a lot of match-winners who individually can pull off a game, and on a specific day, one does the job, and when they're all in trouble, they together pull it off," he said. (ANI)
"Don’t make big changes at last moment": Yuvraj Singh backs settled India squad for 2027 World Cup
