'They've Given Heart And Soul For Country': Yuvraj Singh Reacts to Ravi Shastri's 'Seniors Ready to be Phased Out' Statement

Veteran India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has reacted to former head coach Ravi Shastri’s statement regarding phasing out of senior players from the team. Yuvraj, who played a key role in India’s historic 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI WC triumphs, said that the senior players deserve respect.

Earlier this year, Shastri stated that the senior players should phase out as youngsters are ready to take their place with the emergence of the Indian Premier League.

“There are seniors ready to be phased out and there are youngsters ready, no question about it when it comes to T20 cricket. Lesser in 50-over cricket and even fewer in Test match cricket. Due to the IPL, there are a lot of high-quality youngsters available,” Shastri told the Week.

Yuvraj responded to the statement and didn’t hold back and said that there should be clear communication with the seniors if the selectors of thinking of replacing them with the youngsters.

“If Ravi Shastri says seniors should be phased out, then someone should also tell it to the seniors. The problem in India is the seniors are not told. They have given their heart and soul for the country and they deserve respect. You need to have that talk that ‘Look, it might be hard on you but maybe you might not be looked at’,” Yuvraj told the Week.

Several former India players have talked about not getting clear communication from the selectors in the past when they were dropped from the squad.

Meanwhile, Yuvraj heaped praise on current chief selector Ajit Agarkar and feels that he will make sure to have a clear message and tough conversation with the players who are not in the team’s plans.

“We have a very good chief selector now (Agarkar) who has played for the country for a long time. I feel he can have that tough conversation and tell the seniors where they’re at if the plan is to bring in youngsters. Tell the guys where they are,” he added.

India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 08 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The 1983 and 2011 World Cup Champions will then take on Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on October 11 and then face Pakistan on October 14 at the world’s biggest cricket stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.