Dhoni's role crucial for India's World Cup chances: Yuvraj Singh

"I think Mahi (Dhoni) has a great cricketing brain. As a wicket-keeper, you are in the best position to monitor the game and he has done that fantastically over the years. He has been a great captain," said Yuvraj Singh.

Hailing former captain MS Dhoni for his cricketing brain, Yuvraj Singh stated that Dhoni’s presence in the side could be a decisive factor in India’s quest to win the upcoming ODI World Cup in England.

"I think Mahi (Dhoni) has a great cricketing brain. As a wicket-keeper, you are in the best position to monitor the game and he has done that fantastically over the years. He has been a great captain," Yuvraj was quoted as saying by icc-cricket.com.

Dhoni has been under constant criticism for his indifferent form in limited overs cricket but his wicket-keeping skills and invaluable reading of the game makes him indispensable in the Indian side.

“Dhoni’s constantly talking with the young players and guiding Virat (Kohli) all the time. I feel his presence is very important in the decision-making,” said Yuvraj.

He has been facing criticism from some quarters recently due to his slow scoring rate. Dhoni, however, replied to his critics with a string of excellent performances during the limited-overs series in Australia and New Zealand. He was adjudged the Player of the series for scoring a hat-trick of fifties in the ODI series against Australia. The performance got Yuvraj pretty excited.

“He had a fantastic tournament in Australia, and it is good to see him hit the ball the way he used to do. I wish him all the best," he said.

Yuvraj also praised rookie batsman Shubman Gill who recently made his international debut during the One-day International (ODI) series in New Zealand. "I was excited to see him (Shubman) play for India," he said. 

"It is amazing, how he has improved so much. He came back from the (India) A tour, scored a lot of runs in the domestic cricket, straightaway got an opportunity."