Cricketers forced to play with injuries, we need better selectors: Yuvi : The Tribune India

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Cricketers forced to play with injuries, we need better selectors: Yuvi

MUMBAI: It’s an open secret that Indian cricketers have carried injuries into matches, and hidden injuries to avoid missing out on lucrative assignments in tournaments such as the IPL.

Cricketers forced to play with injuries, we need better selectors: Yuvi

Yuvraj Singh



Mumbai, November 4

It’s an open secret that Indian cricketers have carried injuries into matches, and hidden injuries to avoid missing out on lucrative assignments in tournaments such as the IPL. Active cricketers avoid speaking on the issue due to obvious fears of being targeted. However, Yuvraj Singh, who has retired from all serious cricket, is in a position to speak on this.

Speaking on the importance of having a player association, Yuvraj said today: “We deserve it. There have been plenty of occasions where we have been asked to play when we don’t want to. We have to play with the pressure that if we don’t play, we will be thrown out. That pressure has to go off the players that even if they are fatigued or carrying injuries, they have to play.”

India does have a player association now, but it was formed only due to the pressure applied by the Supreme Court on the Indian cricket board, which had refused to allow cricketers to form an association for decades.

Maxwell case

Yuvraj cited the example of Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who has taken a break from international cricket to deal with mental health issues.

“We see outside India if players are fatigued and tired mentally, like is the case with (Glenn) Maxwell, he has taken a break because he is feeling it,” Yuvraj said. “Our players can’t do that because they fear they may lose their place. So a players’ association is very important.”

Yuvraj said he expects much from Sourav Ganguly, the new BCCI president. “I see great things happening to Indian cricket with Sourav as president. Cricket, from the administration point of view, and the cricketers’ point of view are two different things,” said Yuvraj. “Someone who has been a very successful captain will run cricket from a player’s point of view where cricketer’s concerns can be heard. It would not happen earlier. They would make decisions and cricketers were not heard. Now he will listen to what cricketers want.”

Better selectors

Yuvraj said Indian players deserve “better selectors”. “We do need better selectors, for sure,” he said, and added: “It’s a difficult job but their thinking in terms of modern-day cricket is not up to the mark. It’s my opinion.”

He gave the example of all-rounder Vijay Shankar, a surprise pick in India’s World Cup squad this year, who has not been brought back to the team after recovering from an injury. “In between, there was your Vijay Shankar, now he has vanished. You play him and then remove him,” Yuvraj said. 

“How can you make players this way? You cannot produce players by giving them just three or four innings, you have to give somebody a longer run.” — TNS

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