The big story: Yuvraj hails Dhoni’s decision to relinquish captaincy

Comeback man Yuvraj Singh on Monday hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to quit limited-overs captaincy as he feels that they can now play their old “fearless brand of cricket“, PTI reported.

“It will be like the old days playing with him [Dhoni] when we had started. Obviously, I started much before him (Yuvraj made his India debut in 2000 and Dhoni in 2004) ,but back then we were fearless when we used to play together. We can do the same this time, in the upcoming series,” Yuvraj told bcci.tv on Monday.

The duo will play together for the India A side, which takes on the touring Englishmen in a practice game ahead of India’s limited-overs series against England. Yuvraj has made a comeback into the side for the series even as Dhoni stepped down as captain. The two have enjoyed a long fruitful partnership as teammates over the past few years, which included winning the 2011 World Cup and the 2007 World Twenty20.

“We were the No. 1 side, won two World Cups and I think these are like amazing achievements. I am not sure how many captains have that. He has been very calm and composed. I think he took a very good decision in stepping down as he must have felt that the next guy [should] take over and build the team for [the] 2019 World Cup and saw that in Virat Kohli. I believe he still has a lot to contribute in this team as a player,” Yuvraj added.

Other top stories

  • The Cricket Club of India on Monday decided to allow free entry to fans for the warm-up match between India A and England on Tuesday, even as the Mumbai Police agreed to provide security at Brabourne Stadium. There were fears that the game might be played behind closed doors after a stalemate over compensation between the authorities and the BCCI.
  • Mumbai and Gujarat face off in the Ranji Trophy final on Tuesday. Gujarat are chasing their maiden title while Mumbai aim for their 42nd. Gujarat will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah for the crucial tie.
  • Chief selector MSK Prasad denied speculations that his team pressured World Cup winning skipper Dhoni to pass on the baton to Virat Kohli.  
  • Former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal chief Sourav Ganguly confirmed that he had received a “threat mail” from an anonymous source, asking him to keep away from a university event in Medinipur.
  • Ravi Shastri stirred up controversy by excluding Sourav Ganguly from his list of greatest-ever Indian captains, while hailing MS Dhoni as the “dada captain”.
  • Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa revealed that Indian spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin only bowled leg-spinners to Steve Smith in the nets while the trio represented Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2016 Indian Premier League. Zampa said Ashwin was a bowler “who doesn’t want to give much away”. India will host Australia for four Test matches in February-March this year.
  • Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga has been ruled out of the forthcoming Twenty20 and ODI series in South Africa after a bout of dengue.
  • All-rounder David Wiese became the latest in the long line of South Africans to swap national colours for playing in England, signing the Kolpak deal.