Yuvraj Singh, the man who famously hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over against England in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup, will be keen to lift the Indian team out of its current woes when the ICC world Twenty20 tournament starts in Bangladesh from March 16. Although Yuvraj found himself out of the one-day side following India’s tour of South Africa last year, the selectors have shown faith in him for the T20 format. Former chairman of selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Kiran More is hailing Yuvraj as a match-winner.
“From the day he started playing for India, he has been a match-winner and I am sure it will continue to be that way till he plays competitive cricket. He’s gone through a lot in recent times but there’s still a lot of cricket left in him,” More said.
From the days when he became a regular in the Indian team, when he lifted Sachin Tendulkar after India won the first Test match against England in 2008 in Chennai, to when he was declared the man of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup which India won, and recently when he fought a bitter battle with lung cancer, Yuvraj has come a long way.
“There are very few like him in limited overs cricket. He is a genuine all-rounder. He was man of the tournament in 2011 World Cup because of the impact he had. India can’t find an all-rounder like him,” says Pravin Amre, Yuvraj’s coach when he played for Air India in the BCCI Corporate Trophy.
After coming out of cancer, Yuvraj has also become more mature as an individual and his calmness on field is a model for youngsters to follow.
“When it comes to Test cricket, the youngsters look up to Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. In the shorter versions, there is only Yuvraj. He is an inspiration for them. It’s because of his special ability that he automatically becomes a role model for them,” added Amre.
Both Yuvraj and Suresh Raina, who was also axed from the Indian ODI side recently, are expected to play a key role in the middle order for the team during the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, especially in situations when Virat Kohli does not play a big innings.
Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be the first one to welcome Yuvraj back into the side, considering his ability to change the nature of matches in the T20 format.
