yuvraj singh, england india A, india A vs england, england's tour of india, ms dhoni, sportsfit, yuvraj
“It is Yuvraj who is the best judge about how he is feeling.” -Photo by AFP

NEW DELHI: Fitness will be the key to cancer survivor Yuvraj Singh's selection to the Indian team for a home Test series against England next month, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Wednesday.

“We have to assess whether Yuvraj is ready to field for two days,” said Dhoni when asked whether the skilful all-rounder would be picked for the four-Test series starting in Ahmedabad on November 15.

Yuvraj, who has not played Test cricket since last November, was treated for a rare germ-cell cancer between his lungs in the United States earlier this year.

The 30-year-old returned after chemotherapy treatment in April and played in the recent World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. He also cracked a double-century in a domestic four-day game in Hyderabad this month.

Yuvraj has performed impressively in the ongoing three-day match against England in Mumbai, scoring a half-century and taking two wickets for India 'A'.

The Indian team for the opening Test will be named on Monday.

“It is very difficult for me to comment on his (Yuvraj) fitness sitting over here. We have to understand that five-day format has its own uncertainties unlike ODIs or T20s,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

“In ODIs, you know that you have to field for 50 overs only, while in Test cricket there may be a situation that a team might bat for one-and-a-half to two days.

“Having said that it is Yuvraj who is the best judge about how he is feeling. He has played quite a few domestic games now and it is up to him to reflect on his game.”

Yuvraj has played 37 Tests since his international debut in 2000, scoring 1,775 runs at an average of 34.80 with three centuries. He was also named man of the tournament in India's 50-over World Cup triumph last year.

Opinion

Editorial

A new direction
Updated 18 Mar, 2025

A new direction

While kinetic response may temporarily disable violent actors, it will not address underlying factors providing ideological fuel to insurgencies.
BTK settlement
18 Mar, 2025

BTK settlement

WHEREVER the money goes, controversy follows. The PMLN-led federal government, which recently announced that it will...
Sugar crisis
18 Mar, 2025

Sugar crisis

GREED knows no bounds. But the avarice of those involved in the sugar business — from manufacturers to retailers...
NAP revival
Updated 17 Mar, 2025

NAP revival

This bloody cycle of violence will continue unless action is complemented with social, economic, political efforts in Balochistan and KP.
New reality
17 Mar, 2025

New reality

THE US retreat from global climate finance commitments could not have come at a worse time. Pakistan faces an...
Killer traffic
17 Mar, 2025

Killer traffic

MYSTERIOUS and unstoppable. It is these words that perhaps best describe the recent surge in traffic-related...