World Cup squad: The Yuvraj Singh factor

MUMBAI: A debate is waiting to flare up. It's only a matter of time.
Your neighbour next door, the habitually hypersensitive Indian cricket fan, is breathing heavy . Like a few million others, he's made his point already ­ be it at work, at dinner, on Twitter, wherever he could. This present Indian team doesn't have a single match-winning all-rounder.
Yuvraj Singh cannot be ignored, period.
They've all possibly penned down their 2015 Indian World Cup team. Half, if not more, in all likelihood, would have included Yuvraj ­ the gifted one who contributed a great deal in India winning the previous edition of the tournament.
How can he not get selected?
That, of course, will be decided by the national selection committee today. The all-rounder is most likely to trend on Twitter regardless of what the selectors decide. He'll form the crux of most of the discussion once the wise men have finished with their duties. Yuvraj, the all-rounder who helped India win against Australia in Ahmedabad in 2011. The one who picked two crucial top-order wickets and then scored a match-winning half-century.
How can he be ignored?
The selectors did not include Yuvraj in the list of 30 World Cup probables picked last month. That meant ignoring the 33-year-old for the tournament. Technically, though, it wasn't the end of the road for him. Picking probables is only an administrative process outlined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Yuvraj can certainly be picked in the 15 if the selectors want.
But will they?
It's a question that'll linger in the minds of those who follow cricket with the sole idea of watching India thrash every opposition and win almost everything. And also in the minds of those who genuinely believe a good all-rounder lends great balance to the composition of a playing eleven .
If not Yuvraj, who?
Ravindra Jadeja? Fitness is in doubt. Axar Patel? Too inexperienced. Stuart Binny? Has been tried. Suresh Raina? Not quite Yuvraj. If that isn't enough, Yuvraj has just finished scoring three centuries in the Ranji Trophy .
Isn't he back in great form?
A cricket World Cup, like any other World Cup in any other sport, is also one framed in unforgettable memories. Like the playmakers in football, cricket fans remember the great all-rounders. Mohinder Amarnath's lazy elegance of 1983, Steve Waugh's cold precision in 1987, Imran Khan's supreme leadership in 1992, Sanath Jayasuriya's guile and aggression in 1996 and so on. Score runs, pick wickets, play with a squad of 12 ­ all-rounders have defined added strength.
Will India have that 12th man in their playing eleven this time?
To the utter dismay of scores of Indians who believe in the 'once more' chorus, Yuvraj is unlikely to go. And if that rings true, the players selected will travel with the added pressure of finding another Yuvraj among themselves. It's not about winning alone, even if that remains the sole aim of every participating team. It's also about memories. Else, who'd remember contributions from Gavin Larsen and Chris Harris, Brian McMillan and Shaun Pollock, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib-al Hasan even if their teams never ended up lifting the Cup. A couple of wickets, a decent double-figure score, a boundary stopped ­ who wouldn't like it all coming from one player.
The question looming for Team India is: If not Yuvraj, then who?
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