Take two

Twenty20 star Yuvraj Singh was a positive influence - until he took on Deepika and the Australians?

It seems so long ago that Umpire's Post pointed out that Yuvraj Singh was having a deep positive influence on India's Test team while staying out of it. Actually, it was only 76 days ago.

At that time, he was keeping the batsmen in the team on their toes by breathing down their necks. He was a star in India's limited-overs side and the world's brightest in Twenty20. It was to accommodate him that Dravid was pushed to open and Sehwag kept out. As seen later, those were two of the bigger mistakes made in Australia.

Now, Yuvraj is having a deep negative influence by being in the team. In nine innings in Australia, he has a sequence of scores that would read like a telephone number. This is the kind of form that invokes the use of words like lean, out of sorts, woeful, et cetera.

To rub salt "" and some chilli powder "" in his wounds, Rohit Sharma was sent in at number four against Sri Lanka in Canberra, ahead of Yuvraj, and Dhoni followed Sharma. Sporadic doubts over Yuvraj's abilities as a Test player have become persistent and are extending to ODIs, where he could do no wrong just a few months ago.

Theories have mushroomed, talking about the state of Yuvraj's mind and heart. Deepika Padukone, always pretty, is seen to have some connection with both of them and the loss of form.

It is oh so unfair. Why can't a man and a woman court? English, Australian and South African teams have for long toured with wives, girlfriends or partners.

For some reason, no one seems ready to acknowledge the real problem: Yuvraj does not have the ability to score too many runs in Australian conditions.

Dhoni has the same problem, though one 80-plus knock and the position of the skipper have made his position slightly better. Both of them can rip the heart out of a bowler on a batting-friendly track. That is where they should play.

Each player, batsman or bowler, should be identified by his specific abilities. So, Dravid and Lakshman should be considered the mainstays in seaming, swinging, fast and bouncy conditions. Yuvraj, Dhoni and Jaffer can rule on flat tracks.

Similarly, Irfan should be a frontline bowler in England and New Zealand, but should be kept out of the team in the sub-continent, where the conditions won't help him. Harbhajan and Murali Karthik can both play in India, but neither overseas.

In most cricket-playing countries, two teams are evolving: one for Test matches and another for ODIs. That needs to be modified. Two teams are required, but for different playing conditions, not different formats.