Dhoni is the best footballer in Team India; Bumrah, Pandya very poor at soccer skills: Yuvraj Singh

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New Delhi, June 22: Like rest of the world, the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018 fever also gripped veteran India cricketer Yuvraj Singh. The left-handed batsman from Punjab said that he's been an ardent Brazil fan and the five-time World Champions have been his 'Doosri Country' during the global extravaganza.

However, this year his love towards Premier League club Manchester United's star forward Paul Pogba has forced him to switch his loyalties towards France.

FIFA World Cup Fixtures

"Past few World Cups, I supported Brazil, but this year I am supporting France because it has Paul Pogba, who is a Manchester United player", said Yuvraj on Youtube channel SportScreenIndia.

Yuvraj is a self-confessed football buff, who has often dropped in at the Old Trafford to enjoy United's Premier League home games. The Indian team also plays football as a part of its warm-up and the witty Yuvraj provided his expert comments on his teammates' football skills.

The southpaw believes former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best footballer in the Indian Cricket Team and young guns Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are the worst.

"Virat is really fit and can run the length and breadth of the pitch with high speed, but unfortunately, he can never score goals. He has a lot of skills but sadly lacks the finish. I think he needs to work on that," said the hero of India's 2011 World Cup victory.

But he had some honest advice for Bumrah and Pandya -- football is not a sport for them.

"Jasprit Bumrah shouldn't play football. Hardik Pandya is a really bad footballer. He too needs to improve his football skills", he says jokingly.

Earlier on Thursday (June 21), Pandya, who is a big football fan and a follower of Manchester United, received a unique gift from the Red Devils.

The Baroda all-rounder received a signed jersey from Manchester United. Pandya could not hide his excitement after receiving the gift.

"A big thank you to @GulfOilIndia and @ManUtd for this iconic gift!...This is going straight up on my wall!," Pandya wrote on Twitter while sharing the Gulf Oil tweet.

Carrying on in a lighter vein, Yuvraj adds: "Rohit Sharma is a horrible soccer player. He just passes the ball and then doesn't move. He is always standing in an off-side position. Zaheer Khan is also like Rohit, barely wants to run on the football ground. Ashish Nehra, I would advise shouldn't play football because everytime he plays, he gets injured."

So who is a good footballer according to Yuvraj? "Mahi (Dhoni) is an excellent soccer player", he said.

(With inputs from PTI)