Yuvraj Singh plays devil's advocate in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for World Cup debate: ‘When will you groom Jaiswal?’

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, gave his take on the burning issue, saying the duo have it in them to play in the next edition of the tournament. However, he also sympathised with Gambhir and Agarkar, saying the duo also have the task of giving enough games to the youngsters if Kohli and Rohit suffer a blip in form at the last minute.

Giving an example of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuvraj said that the left-handed youngster scored a century in his last ODI for the Men in Blue, but still, he continues to warm the bench.

“If you are going to the World Cup, you should have played several games. I am not saying you should drop someone. But if you're playing the 2027 ODI World Cup, you need to start preparing your squad now. You need to give them many games. Take a decision, it shouldn't happen at the last minute that one of your senior players gets injured and there's no young player,” he added.

Yuvraj urged the authorities to have a clear chat with Rohit and Virat and let them know about their plans so that there's no bad blood and no one is kept in the dark.

“Virat Kohli has had a superb series. Rohit has been performing consistently. If a situation comes up in the next 1.5 years, it shouldn't be that your second line isn't ready. Now, ODI cricket isn't played as much. Whoever you want to play, make sure you give them enough time,” said Yuvraj.

“Senior players are important. I don't know what is going on in Rohit and Virat's minds. It looks like they're thinking of the World Cup. But I think that's the call they and the selectors need to take. There has to be clarity. You should be able to sit in a room and discuss things. It's tough. If someone tells you they are looking ahead, you won't be able to take it, but one year down the line, you'd appreciate that someone gave you clarity,” he added.

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