TAUNTON:India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will face a tough task of opting between Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina for the number five spot in the first Test between India and England in the Lord’s next week.
It would be quite a dilemma for Dhoni when he will have to choose either Yuvraj or Raina – both left-handers, both aggressive, both brilliant fielders and both worth a few handy overs of spin.
Raina has been impressive in the Caribbean, where he scored 232 runs at 46.40 with three half-centuries on tracks that Rahul Dravid describe as the most difficult among all he has played in the West Indies in the last 15 years.
On the other hand, Yuvraj Singh showed his brilliance in the World Cup.
While Raina managed to impress no less than legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar in the way he flinched not to one single short-pitched delivery from the West Indian pacemen directed at his torso, Yuvraj can flaunt his statistics that shows seven half-centuries from the last 11 Tests he played and the success he has enjoyed against England with at 46-plus average.
Raina can certainly claim that he deserves as much exposure as possible given the wheels of transition have slowly begun to turn in Indian cricket. And there is every reason to keep him battle-hardened and not a dispirited young man when the time comes.
However, Yuvraj, if sidelined now, might not make a comeback and his otherwise glorious career would show just 34 Tests with 1639 runs during a fractured career of 12 years.
Moreover, the presence of Yuvraj can make England flinch in the collective might of superstars in the visitors’ ranks. (PTI)
