For a batsman who is struggling even to score 25 (for schoolboys it is considered to be the score to get into a newspaper), it does seem surprising Yuvraj Singh has got the nod to lead the Board President’s XI against the visiting Australian team.

The biggest hitter in the history of Twenty20 cricket (remember the six 6s in an over off poor Stuart Broad?) has seemingly been all at sea even in the 50-overs format. He is certainly the blue-eyed boy of the BCCI and is the deputy to the admirable Mahendra Singh Dhoni in ODIs. Of course, being the son of a former new ball bowler, Yograj Singh, who played a lone Test for the country, has helped his cause. The outgoing chairman of the selection committee, Dilip Vengsarkar, was the father’s team-mate.

At least the father has made no secret of the fact that he was expecting his son to lead in the ODIs, suggesting that the upstart from Ranchi is a usurper. Unfortunately for the Singh family — add the mother who likes to be interviewed about her son’s failures and resultant depression — this usurper from Ranchi has been winning and scoring. Also, whenever asked to say something, he says sense.

All these attributes this “Punjab di puttar” does not seem to have. So, why saddle him with the captaincy? Let him play the game by all means and score a few runs, at least 25 so that his contribution can be mentioned in the newspapers.

One of the reasons that batting demands one should keep one’s head down when playing, is to inculcate a sense of modesty. One of the reasons that Yuvraj is not being able to score is his head is rarely down when playing. Add to this his high back-lift that comes down from Sydney Harbour Bridge, and there is the perfect recipe for disaster against the fast yorker. Should not the captaincy be withheld till he scores 25?