Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh urged the Indian selectors and team management to avoid any massive changes to the side. The 44-year-old recently spoke to Cricinfo, where he said that such a move could affect the preparations for the next ODI World Cup in 2027.

“Focus should be on building a side that can play for a year because you don’t want to make last-minute changes to the side. Whomever the players are, 16 or 20, it is key that everyone gets game time because more T20Is are being played than the ODIs and players need to get enough game time.”

The left-handed batter was part of the side that crashed out in the first round of the 2007 tournament, with Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell being the captain and coach. Yuvraj doesn’t want India to repeat the past mistakes to avoid embarrassment in the global tournament.

“Every time India has faltered, it is because the team has made massive changes at the last moment or during a tournament. It is important to stick to a side that we believe can win the World Cup and back players irrespective of whether they fail or succeed because belief in the squad is the key.”

Yuvraj calls for consistency in white-ball formats

Yuvraj said that the team has to be consistent in the white-ball formats.

He mentioned that the team did well to reach the 2023 ODI World Cup final and also win successive T20 World Cups. The legendary southpaw again reiterated the importance of having a side that can play in any situation and condition.

The Men in Blue reached the final of the 2023 tournament under Rohit Sharma‘s captaincy. The then skipper broke the long wait for an ICC title with a win in the 2024 T20 World Cup, while Suryakumar Yadav repeated the feat earlier this year.

Speaking about the benefits of having a settled squad, Yuvraj Singh said, “That’s something we have done in the last two T20 World Cups and also played the final of the ODI WC in 2023. We have consistency in these two formats, and the team needs to do as well. First, think of making it to the semis. The focus should be on getting the squad ready.”