Yuvraj is a misfit in the middle overs

Dhoni stoutly believes that despite his insipid form Yuvraj is a key player because "A lot has been said about good starts and how the finish should be provided in the final overs but for me, the key is how you bat in the middle overs and set up the game between 20th and 39th over."

However, how does Yuvraj fit into Dhoni's view of the middle overs?

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Going by his current form and his mental make up Yuvraj is a misfit. In the middle overs you need a batsmen who can rotate the strike by running quick singles and finding the gaps which will yield two and three's in these vast Australian grounds.

With his dodgy knee Yuvraj will certainly struggle to keep up with a hard charging partner over a long period of time. Similarly, Yuvraj has never shown the patience nor the willingness to stick to the basics if the team is in a preservation mode. Yuvraj is more inclined to hit crowd pleasing and image enhancing shots rather than pace his game according to the team's needs.

Besides, Yuvraj's technique has been found wanting against spinners and it is standard practice to use spinners during the middle overs to a spread out field. Unfailingly Yuvraj has floundered against them.

Dhoni's reading of the ODI game is excellent but citing Yuvraj as a  necessity is wrong.

Isn't it time to bench Yuvraj?