Yuvraj Singh was blamed, rightly or wrongly, for India's loss to Sri Lanka in the World T20 final of 2014. Following that batting performance, when he failed to strike that white ball with his willow more often than not, the left-hander would have wondered if his career as an international cricketer was over.
All signs pointed towards that as Yuvraj was ignored by the selectors on quite a few occasions, despite some good domestic form. However, after another strong season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and with the World T20 2016, to be played in India, looming large, the selectors decided now might be the right time to get Yuvraj back into the international fold again.
The reason behind Yuvraj's selection is not just his decent form with the bat, but the fact that India do not have a big-hitting finisher in their lineup anymore. The majority of India's batsmen are touch players, with timing and finesse the skills that come to the fore.
There is no "see ball, hit ball, hit the ball for a six" batsman in the middle order, and that has hurt India in both T20s and ODIs in recent times.
Something needed to change on that front, and with a big tournament like the World T20 coming up, the safer bet is always to bank on experience rather than raw potential.
"There's always pressure to come back," Yuvraj told PTI when asked if that ridiculous form of the 2011 World Cup would ever return. "Pressure is always there in international cricket. People always expect you to repeat your old performances and records.
"I'm sure that it will come with time, with the faith I've from the selectors, team management and fans. I'm hopeful of getting results."
Yuvraj will have three matches to prove he still has it in him to perform on the international stage, when India play Australia next month. Yuvraj said he went through a difficult period after he was dropped from the team, but never gave up hope of making a comeback.
"The phase in life that I went through was really terrible and it can't be worse," Yuvraj added. "But I've emerged stronger.
"I was out of [international] cricket for more than one and half years and it's difficult to motivate yourself to play domestic cricket but that's the only way forward. I've been doing well in domestic cricket."
