Visakhapatnam, Nov 26 (DHNS): A night before the National selectors were to pick the squad for South Africa one-dayers,Yuvraj Singh’s juggling attempt to catch a Lendl Simmons’ skier in the second one-day international against the West Indies appeared symptomatic of his situation.

He couldn’t hold on to the slippery ball but managed to cling on to his place in the team despite a prolonged poor run with the bat. At the moment, Yuvraj finds himself in a state that’s not too dissimilar to the one he had faced in the run up to the 2011 World Cup in India.

His spot was in doubt after a lengthy slump in form but his past reputation as a genuine match-winner won the selectors’ nod. And the left-hander didn’t do badly at all, claiming the man of the tournament honours in India’s triumphant campaign.

India’s defence of the quadrangular title begins in a little over a year from now in Australia and New Zealand but it’s clear that the team management has already begun its preparations for the event.

That Suresh Raina was tried at number four position, which is long held by Yuvraj, in the seven-match ODI series against Australia as a potential long-term candidate for that slot was an indication of team’s planning for the tournament.

The Raina experiment has been shelved, at least for the time being, after poor returns against Australia but Yuvraj, who batted two-down in the two matches against Windies in Kochi and Visakhapatnam, needs to do something substantial for his past laurels may not cut ice with the current selection committee.          

Skipper MS Dhoni admitted that Yuvraj was under pressure to perform and that was main reason the batsman has been brought back to number four slot against West Indies. “(Though) Raina was at least getting a few runs for himself (at two-down), we wanted Yuvi to be quite comfortable at his slot. He’s batted a lot at No 4 and so we said, ‘till the pressure doesn’t ease down on him, let’s give him a series where he bats at No 4’. This was definitely one of the measures we could have taken, and that’s why he’s batting at No 4.”

Having returned in style with a blistering unbeaten 77 against Australia at Rajkot in October in a T20 match, Yuvraj since then has endured scores of 7, 0, 12, 16 n.o. and 28 in the ODIs he has batted. His record this year has been equally disappointing – 221 runs from 15 matches at an average of 18.41. When the K Srikkanth-led panel backed the southpaw to come good in 2011, he was just over 29. By the time the next World Cup arrives, Yuvraj will be just over 33 and commendable as his effort has been in winning the battle against cancer, his fitness levels will be monitored closely. He will be given that extra rope because he is a special player and in the unforgiving conditions Down Under, his experience will be vital as well.

That Dhoni, who once described Yuvraj as his hero, has a soft corner for the 31-year-old isn’t unknown.

“We want Yuvi to do well,” Dhoni said when asked about lack of runs from the Punjab player. “He’s someone who can bat well for us at No 4 and who can really dominate the opposition and play aggressive shots. Yes, in the last few games, if you see, he has struggled a bit. But also, what you need to see is in the last three games in the Australia series, he got out in the first five or seven deliveries that he faced. At times it happens that you are under pressure and the first 15-20 deliveries are very crucial.

“If someone is not able to pass that, you have to be considerate about it. Once he gets going, we all know what kind of a talent he is. So, we’re just hoping that he gets a few runs and after that you will see a different Yuvraj Singh. Apart from the talent he has got, he’s someone who does really well once he’s confident. If you see his stats also it reflects (what I am trying to say). He dominates a tournament or a bilateral series. If he starts scoring in the first game, he makes sure that he scores and makes the team win the entire tournament,” he offered.

Indeed, Yuvraj averages a staggering 63.06 with the bat in India’s 31 wins in tournaments involving five or more teams with 22 wickets to boot. It’s in India’s best interests that Yuvraj finds his mojo back.