Read what Gambhir feels about Yuvraj, Dhoni's future in team India!

New Delhi: Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was lying in saying that Yuvraj Singh has been rested for the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka and pointed out that MS Dhoni must perform consistently to be included in the Indian squad for the 2019 ICC World Cup.

Gambhir, who might have been a meek batsman during his days in the Indian Cricket team, has become very aggressive with his words over the past few years.

Discussing the future prospects of the senior players in the Indian side, he opined that Yuvi apparently failed to clear the 'Yo-Yo endurance test', a fitness test, at the National Cricket Academy which led to his exclusion from the squad touring Sri Lanka.

It may be mentioned that Chief Selector MSK Prasad had said, "Yuvraj has been rested. Doors are never closed on anybody."

Gambhir, however, believes 'rest' is not the appropriate word to be used in this particular case.

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"I don't think 'rest' is the right word because he (Yuvraj) hasn't played any Cricket for quite a while and he would be wanting to play. If you want to see him at the World Cup, he should be given the maximum opportunity. Because, someone like Yuvraj, you want him in that flow, you want him in that rhythm. You can't have someone like him playing in one series and resting thereafter," Gambhir said.

"So, I feel that it's difficult now for Yuvraj to make a comeback. Hopefully, he does because he is one of the greats of the game," Gambhir said.

It is worth mentioning that the 'Yo-Yo' endurance test is an advanced version of the 'beep' test that was used by teams of earlier generations.

Speaking on Dhoni's future in the Indian national side, Gambhir said, "The only way he (Dhoni) can survive till the 2019 World Cup is if he keeps performing, and that should be the criteria for everyone, irrespective of whether he is MS Dhoni or someone like Manish Pandey who's been selected to play for the country."

Commenting on the wicket-keeper slot, Gambhir again said that the selection should be based on merit and not only past performances.