Ravi Shastri : The door is not closed on Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh yet
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Ravi Shastri has stated that Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina can still make a comeback to the national team, but for that, they must prove their fitness first. The Indian coach has also added that fielding, current form, and fitness are the major factors for selection in the Indian team.
Yuvraj was picked for the limited-overs series against England last year after the selectors were convinced of his form and fitness during the Ranji Trophy. The vote of confidence was cast after Yuvraj stacked up 672 runs in five games, including scores of 260 and 177. However, despite scoring 372 runs at an average of 41.33 with a strike-rate of 98.67 in his last 10 innings, he found himself out of the team for the Sri Lanka and the upcoming Australia series.
On the other hand, after failing to make a cut for the Champions Trophy squad, Raina went to Amsterdam for a while after a successful stint in the Indian Premier League 2017 to look after his body. He also came back to practice with former India skipper MS Dhoni at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore but reportedly, failed in the yo-yo test that resulted in him missing out on the 15-member squad that went to Sri Lanka for a five-match ODI series and a lone T20I match.
While Raina has been given a chance to lead the Duleep Trophy side, India Blue, to prove his fitness and form, Yuvraj failed to make it to any of the teams, which raised questions about the 2011 World Cup heroes. However, Shastri stated that the southpaws can still be picked in the team.
"Any player is eligible for selection if they perform well on the following parameters - fitness, current form, and fielding. Fielding is very important if you want to win consistently," Shastri was quoted as saying by India TV.
"I am not involved in selection. The door is not closed on Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. Any player who performs well on these parameters is eligible for selection."
