Despite being dropped by the selectors, there’s no slump in Yuvraj Singh’s popularity, as was evident in Patiala, on Monday. (PTI)

Calcutta: The Galle Test, two months ago, will forever be remembered as Muttiah Muralidharan’s last. It may also just turn out to be Yuvraj Singh’s last, for the time being, at least.

In the foreseeable future, after all, everything points to Yuvraj only being considered for ODIs and T20 Internationals. For that to change, something dramatic has to happen.

Having lost his No.6 position to Suresh Raina, in Sri Lanka, it was taken for granted that Yuvraj would find it very tough to retain his place even in the squad, for the two-Test series against Australia, which begins in Mohali on October 1.

Yuvraj’s worst fears — one can say on authority that he did have them — came true on Monday afternoon, when the selectors ignored him while choosing the XV for Mohali and Bangalore.

The second Test is from October 9.

“Of course it is a disappointment, but disappointments have become a part of my life,” Yuvraj told the media in Patiala.

It’s not the first time that Yuvraj has been dumped, but never before did he react within hours of being unwanted. Just goes to show that, this time, the hurt goes deep.

Instead of Yuvraj, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and his colleagues (Yashpal Sharma, Narendra Hirwani, Surendra Bhave, Raja Venkat) have shown faith in rookie Cheteshwar Pujara.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten weren’t present at the meeting in Chennai. Both are in South Africa. Kirsten’s views, it seems, were “ascertained” by the chief selector.

That Pujara, a 22-year-old Saurashtra right-hander, was a strong contender had been reported in these columns. Incidentally, he’s served as one of Shah Rukh Khan’s Knights in the IPL.

It’s no consolation, but Yuvraj has been named the Rest of India captain for the Irani Trophy.

Raina got his chance when Yuvraj became ill, on the eve of the second Test (at the SSC, in Colombo) and made the most of that break. He hit a quality hundred on debut and followed it up with impressive scores in the decider, at the P.Sara Oval, in Colombo again.

Such was Raina’s run that he topped the averages (111.50).

Actually, not being picked for the final Test was message enough for Yuvraj. In any case, The Telegraph learns that Kirsten had been “exceedingly blunt” in explaining why the team management felt he had to sit with the reserves and not be out on the park.

If injuries and illnesses hadn’t been helping, Raina’s spectacular start in Test cricket made it worse for Yuvraj. That he’s seen as somebody who doesn’t work hard enough has been a negative in his balance sheet throughout.

Sadly, no matter how much Yuvraj sweats it out, the strong impression that he’s a playboy first and, only then, a cricketer, remains.

For years, Yuvraj was in the shadow of his one-time mentor, Sourav Ganguly. Now, he has to contend with Raina and Pujara.

“Two factors came into play... Pujara has been performing big in domestic cricket and doing very well on the A tours... He needed to be rewarded... Then, if Yuvraj can’t make the Test XI, there’s no point making him sit in the dressing room,” a well-placed source said.

Where the quintet is concerned, it probably feels Yuvraj has been spared the agony of “water-boy” taunts.

October 3, by the way, is when Yuvraj completes 10 years as an India cricketer. He won’t be in the mood to celebrate, though.

Given his class, if Yuvraj gets a hold on himself, the selectors could eventually have to eat humble pie.

As expected, Zaheer Khan has made a comeback. He’d missed the Sri Lanka tour owing to an injury. In the squad, too, is Sreesanth — another injury-prone medium pacer.

“Abhimanyu Mithun is to consider himself unlucky, but if you look at the bigger picture, and the tour to South Africa later this season, then you’ll appreciate why Sreesanth had to be brought back. If he breaks down, yet again, then his claims are going to be set aside,” the well-placed source added.

Sreesanth, it may be recalled, had been the MoM in the first Test (Johannesburg) on our last tour to South Africa — 2006-07.

Squad for the test series

Batsmen: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara

Wicket-keeper: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt.)

Spinners: Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha

Medium pacers: Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma.