‘Don’t make changes’: Yuvraj Singh’s warning to Gautam Gambhir and management ahead of 2027 FIFA World Cup

ROHIT SHARMA, VIRAT KOHLI India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup have already raised one crucial question: what will their squad look like when the tournament begins in October?The FIFA World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with India aiming to win the title for the third time after failing to reach the final in 2023. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from other formats of international cricket, their availability for the 50-year show remains a key point of contention.Amid the uncertainty, India’s 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh emphasized the importance of one thing above all: consistency.Speaking to Cricinfo, Yuvraj said that India should settle for a core group of 16-20 players and give them regular opportunities in the limited number of ODIs available before the World Cup.“They have to focus on building the same team that will play in a year because you don’t want to make big changes at the last minute,” said Yuvraj Singh.The former all-rounder believes regular game time will be especially important as the ODI calendar becomes increasingly limited compared to T20 cricket.“Whoever your players are, whether they’re 16 or 20, it’s important that everyone gets game time because now of course there’s more T20S and less 50-over cricket. Whatever the matches, it’s important that the players get enough game time to prepare for the World Cup,” he added.

Yuvraj Singh warns against last-minute changes

Pointing to India’s past performances in major tournaments, Yuvraj claimed that sudden changes close to the World Cup could disrupt the team’s preparations.“Every time India has faltered, it’s when they’ve made some massive changes at the last minute or in the tournament. So I think it’s important that we stick with a team that we believe can lift the 2027 World Cup and stick with those guys, whether they fail or succeed, till then. Faith in the team is very important,” Yuvraj further said.He also cited India’s success in the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups as an example of how developing a stable group can help a team prepare for a major tournament. India also reached the World Cup final for the 50th time in 2023.

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Share an opinion“This is something we have done in the last two T20 World Cups as well,” said Yuvraj. “We’ve also played the 50-over World Cup final (in 2023). So we’ve had a lot of consistency in white-ball cricket. And that’s what they need to do as well, thinking of qualifying for the semi-finals first and then playing in the last two (elimination matches). I think that’s a long way to go. They need to focus on getting the star together and being ready for all the teams,” he added.