India must avoid 'massive changes' ahead of 2027 ODI World Cup - Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh believes to succeed at the 2027 ODI World Cup, India need to pick their best squad now and stick to it so that the players have a good run-in. The team was warned by the 44-year-old former allrounder not to make "massive changes" at the last minute, which has hurt them in the past.

"They need to focus on building the same team to play in a year's time, because you don't want to make big changes at the last moment," Yuvraj, Player-of-the-Series in India's 2011 ODI World Cup win, told Cricinfo. "Regardless of your players' ages, whether they are 16 or 20, it is essential that every one of them plays because, evidently, there is now more T20 cricket and less 50-over cricket. Players need to get enough playing time for the World Cup, regardless of the schedule.

"Every time India have faltered is when they've made some massive changes at the last moment or in the tournament. So, I think it's important that we stick with a team that we think can win the World Cup in 2027 and stand by those guys until that day, whether they fail or succeed. It is very important to have faith in the team."

India's long road to the ODI World Cup starts with a three-match series at home against West Indies starting September 27. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel faces a slew of questions, former captain Rohit Sharma's international future being paramount. The World Cup, which will be held in southern Africa, draws more attention to fast-bowling all-rounders, which brings Hardik Pandya, who has been sidelined by injuries, into the discussion.

India have also had a preference to stack their squads with allrounders because they give batting depth. Yuvraj appreciates the value they bring but believes more focus should be given to players who are match-winners irrespective of the role they play.

"There are different players in each nation. Some teams have more allrounders, some teams have more specific batters and bowlers," he said. "You must select the optimal combination. Regardless of the circumstances, the best combination will always consist of 12, 13, 14, and [pick the 15th]. Choose the best option, whether you want to play an extra spinner, fast bowler, or all-rounder. You've got to go with your top 11 match-winners who you feel can win the game.

"I believe that the Australian side, whenever they won World Cups, they've had a lot of match-winners who individually can pull off a game, and on a specific day, one does the job, and when they're all in trouble, they collectively pull it off," says "that's the reason why Australia have been successful."

Additionally, Yuvraj urged India to learn from their previous two T20 World Cup campaigns. India became the first team to win back-to-back men's T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026.

"That's something that we have also done in the last two T20 World Cups," Yuvraj said. "We also played the 50-over World Cup final [in 2023]. As a result, white-ball cricket has seen a lot of consistency from us. And that's what they need to do as well to think of first qualifying for the semis and then going on to play in the last two [knockout matches]. That seems like a long way off. Focus should be to get a squad ready which is together and ready to fight in any situation."

Yuvraj was recently named the brand ambassador for the professional T10 cricket league Canada Super 60. From September 29 to October 4, a six-team men's and three-team women's tournament will be held at BC Place in Vancouver.

"I find the Canada Super 60 to be very exciting. "It's a shorter format and faster than T20," Yuvraj said of the tournament prior to its second edition. Many members of my Punjabi community are present. They get to see some live cricket, some top players around the world. I would urge them to bring the locals to watch the game.