Yuvraj Singh tells Gambhir, management: 'Don't make changes' — stick with one squad for 2027 World Cup

Yuvraj Singh warns Gautam Gambhir and Co: Build the 2027 World Cup squad now and back it

India's road to the 2027 ODI World Cup — to be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia — has thrown up one crucial question before a ball is bowled in October: what exactly will the 50-over showpiece squad look like? With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from other formats of international cricket, their availability for the tournament remains a major talking point.

Amid that uncertainty, India's 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh has delivered a blunt message to head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management: pick a core group, back them, and for heaven's sake, do not make sweeping changes close to the tournament.

'They need to focus on building the same team'

Speaking to Cricinfo, Yuvraj stressed that consistency must be the guiding principle for the limited number of ODIs India will play before the World Cup. He urged the management to settle on a core group of 16 to 20 players and give that group regular opportunities.

"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."

With the white-ball calendar increasingly tilted towards T20 cricket, Yuvraj argued that game time will be at a premium for the 50-over format — making it even more vital that whoever is identified as part of the core gets enough runs before the big event.

"Whoever your players are, whether they are 16 or 20, it's important that everybody gets game time because obviously now there are more T20s and less 50-over cricket. Whatever matches there are, it's important that players get enough game time to prepare for the World Cup."

A warning born from past failures

Yuvraj pointed to India's history of faltering at major tournaments when the setup has tinkered with the squad at the last moment, and argued that belief in a settled group is the key to finally lifting the trophy for a third time — after India fell short against Australia in the 2023 final.

"Every time India has 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 to a team that we believe can lift the 2027 World Cup and stick by those guys whether they fail or succeed till that moment. Belief in the squad is very important."

He cited the success of the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cup campaigns as proof that developing a settled, consistent group works — while acknowledging that India also reached the 50-over World Cup final in 2023.

"That's something that we have also done in the last two T20 World Cups. We also played the 50-over World Cup final [in 2023]. So we have had a lot of consistency in white-ball cricket. 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]. I think that's a long way ahead. Focus should be on getting a squad ready, which is together and ready to fight in any situation."

With the management's World Cup planning under the microscope, Yuvraj's message is unambiguous: identify the 16–20 men who can win the 2027 title, give them consistent opportunities, and trust them — because last-minute upheaval has cost India dearly before.