Mumbai
Veteran Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh on Friday said Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s presence is crucial to the country’s World Cup chances as he is a “guiding” force for current captain Virat Kohli and “important” in decision-making.

Dhoni’s place in the side has been a subject of debate owing to his inconsistent form but many, including former captain Sunil Gavaskar, have said that his tremendous grasp of match situations makes him invaluable.Yuvraj, the 2011 World Cup’s player of the tournament, echoed the sentiment when asked about the Dhoni factor here at an interaction.

“I think Mahi (Dhoni) has a great cricket brain. And as a wicket-keeper, you are in the best position to monitor the game and he has done that fantastically over the years. He has been a great captain.

“So, I feel his presence is very important in decision-making. He had a fantastic tournament in Australia and it is good to see him hit the ball how he used to do, and I wish him all the best,” added the batsman, who had hit six sixes in an over during the World T20 in 2007.

The 37-year-old left-hander found a buyer quite late at the IPL players’ auction held in Jaipur last December for his base price of Rs one crore after going unsold initially.

He also lauded fellow Punjab player Shubman Gill, who recently made his India One Day debut in New Zealand, saying his progress over the last one year has been amazing.

“I was excited to see him play for India. It is amazing, how he has improved so much. He came back from the (India) A tour, scored lot of runs in domestic cricket, straightaway got an opportunity,” said Yuvraj.

Yuvraj also was pleased with rise of teams like Vidarbha, Gujarat and Saurashtra in the domestic circuit.