Former India manager Gaekwad says BCCI should address Yuvraj's case with priority in lieu of coach Kirsten's report on team's poor fitness
Former India manager Gaekwad says BCCI should address Yuvraj's case with priority in lieu of coach Kirsten's report on team's poor fitness
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According to reports emerging from the West Indies, India coach Gary Kirsten has cracked the whip on his players following their poor show in the ICC World Twenty20.
The reports said that Kirsten held one-on-one sessions with eight of the players and came down heavily on the overweight and unfit. He is known to have told a couple of players that he was fitter than them.
One of the players in the coach's firing line was Yuvraj Singh, who had a poor tournament.
Former India coach and selector Anshuman Gaekwad observed the Indian cricket board must look into Yuvraj's case urgently.
"He does not look to be the same Yuvraj he was two years ago. He appears quite lethargic on the field and the level of commitment also seems to have gone down. Even his movement and reflexes have slowed down," said Gaekwad, who was the coach of the Indian team when Yuvraj made an impressive debut in the 2000 ICC Knock-Out Trophy (Champions Trophy) in Nairobi.
Some experts have questioned Yuvraj's selection in the team, but Gaekwad felt that the Indian selectors were right in picking him.
"There's no doubt about his match-winning ability. Even in the past, there have been occasions when a match-winner has been picked and played despite carrying an injury," the former India opener said.
"But if you take into account his showing in the T20 World Cup, then there is certainly a problem. And whatever the problem is, be it with fitness or commitment or something else, it is important that the BCCI acts on it quickly," Gaekwad added.
Yuvraj's fitness worries started after he sustained a knee injury during the 2006 Champions Trophy. He doesn't look to have fully recovered from the injury and the left-hander seems to have realised that treating the knee could solve a lot of problems.
The stylish left-hander will be staying back in London to consult doctors about possible treatments for the troubled knee.
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