JOIN USThe left-hander from Punjab has been replaced by Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma in the only change to the squad that took a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the Eden Gardens.
This omission is the latest in a series of setbacks in the longer version for the World Cup’s Player of the Tournament. Despite having made his debut in October 2003, the 29-year-old has played just 37 Tests, making 1775 runs at a modest average of 34.80.
The final straw came after three abortive knocks in the ongoing Test series, Yuvraj the only one in the top six not to make a half-century. More than the lack of runs, he looked all at sea even on slow tracks against the West Indian quicks, and while it will be premature to say that his Test career is at a dead-end, there is no doubt that it has run into a huge wall, especially with the tour of Australia beginning in less than a month’s time.
Rohit has begun the first-class season in a blaze of glory with centuries in the first two games for Mumbai, but will most likely have to cool his heels with Virat Kohli expected to take Yuvraj’s slot in the playing eleven. Rohit had almost made his debut in February last year against South Africa in Nagpur, but twisted his ankle at practice on the morning of the match.
The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Varun Aaron, Rahul Sharma.