Cricket World Cup 2023: Yuvraj Singh praises Rohit Sharma; cautions injuries might hurt India’s campaign

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Yuvraj Singh played a crucial role in India's 2011 World Cup campaign, and as the next marquee event is just two months away, he weighed in on Team India's chances and what could undermine the campaign of the Rohit Sharma-led team. Showing his support for India captain Rohit Sharma, the former mercurial all-rounder said that it always takes a quality team to win any ICC tournament. He had all praise for Sharma but also cautioned that injuries midway through the tournament could seriously dent India's chances of lifting the 2023 World Cup at home.

While sharing his views on India's chances, Yuvraj said that the main area of concern is Team India's middle order, which has been plagued by injuries to top players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant and it is not easy to replace them. Now, India will have to rely on the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson to fill the gap. «I can be a patriot and say 'India will win because I am an Indian,» Yuvraj expressed.

«But I see a lot of concerns in the Indian middle order because of injuries. If those concerns are not resolved, we will struggle, especially in pressure games. Don't experiment in pressure games,» Yuvraj Singh told Indranil Basu on the Cricket Basu YouTube channel.

«If your openers are out early, you need to build a partnership. (Middle order) batsmen are not simply flamboyant stroke-makers that occupy the crease and start hitting. He has to absorb pressure, leave a few balls, and create a partnership.

It's a difficult job; somebody has to be experienced over there,» he added. While praising Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj also talked about former India captain MS Dhoni «Rohit Sharma is a good captain, but you will have to give a good team to him. MS Dhoni was a good