Why Yuvraj's selection makes sense, regardless of his form

Yuvraj Singh's return to India's limited-overs side has proved to be triumphant. He made his highest ODI score, in Cuttack, and in the process took India from the peril of 25 for 3 to the safety of 281 for 4.

It is tempting to conclude, based on this effort, that the selectors have been proved right. But had Yuvraj failed in all three games, could we then have said that the selectors have been proved wrong? The merit of a selectorial decision does not depend on the player's performance over a single series; perhaps not even over a year.

Selection is a thankless job. It involves expert judgement, which can be difficult to write about, because the inner logic that produces it is often…