Monday, June 28, 2010
Yuvraj Singh Rahul Dravid back
The national selection committee, which met here on Saturday, decided to recall Yuvraj Singh for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka beginning next month.
Yuvraj missed India's most recent Test series — against South Africa at home in February — with a ligament injury. The left-hander was later dropped from the one-day squad for the Asia Cup because of poor fitness and form — a decision that raised questions about his immediate future.
The selectors appear to have answered those questions by picking Yuvraj as one of eight specialist batsmen in the 16-member squad. Yuvraj did his cause no harm by training at the NCA during his time out of international cricket to improve his fitness.
Also returning to the squad, after an injury-enforced absence, is Rahul Dravid, who missed the series against South Africa after being hit by a rising delivery on the tour of Bangladesh.
At the wrong end
The return of Yuvraj and Dravid has forced S. Badrinath out. The middle-order batsman from Tamil Nadu again finds himself at the wrong end of a difficult decision with the selectors preferring Suresh Raina, who was part of the squad for the second Test against South Africa in Kolkata.
Badrinath made a gutsy half-century on debut in difficult conditions against Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in Nagpur. But single-digit scores in his two other innings and Raina's consistent performance in the limited-overs arena appear to have cost Badrinath.
The only other change to the squad selected for the Kolkata Test is the inclusion of Wriddhiman Saha as captain M.S. Dhoni's understudy with the gloves.
Saha, who was dropped after making his debut as a batsman in the first Test against South Africa following Rohit Sharma's freak injury on the morning of the match, replaces the man who had replaced him in the squad for the second Test — Dinesh Karthik.
The selectors chose to retain the bowling unit picked against South Africa although two of its members, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth, lost favour in the shorter forms of the game.
India will look to reverse the result of its last Test series in Sri Lanka, which it lost 1-2. The first Test gets underway in Galle on July 18. The second and third Tests, both to be played in Colombo, are scheduled to start on July 26 and August 3 respectively.
The squad: M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (vice-capt.), M. Vijay, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, S. Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, and Wriddhiman Saha (wk).
--Mahi
Yuvraj Singh India comeback king
Yuvraj Singh: India's comeback king?
Yuvraj Singh will make yet another comeback in India whites after the five wise men of Indian selection panel led by Kris Srikkanth picked him up for the upcoming three Test series against Sri Lanka.
By Himanshu Dubey
His international career may have been highly incoherent, studded with some soaring success stories to few upsetting ones. But one thing that has remained constant with the destructive left-hander is the remarkable run of form he exhibits, whenever he makes a return.,
The flamboyant player was dropped from the ODI squad for the Asia Cup, after his dismal performance in the IPL and disastrous run in the ICC World T20 in the Caribbean. Not only his form, but his fitness and attitude, troubled the selectors, as they decided to kick him out of the squad for the Asia cup.
Yuvraj has proved his mettle in the ODI's and T20 cricket, but he is yet to prove himself in the longer version of the game where he has failed to live upto the hype and expectations. With only a few notable innings for him, Yuvraj will make sure that he makes most of the opportunity and let his bat do the talking rather than words.
Having talked about the perfect opportunity, one must not forget that it won't be a walk in the park for Yuvraj, considering his limitations on slow and low tracks.
To make matters worse for Yuvraj, the likes of Murlitharan, Mendis and Herath are geared up to exploit his incompetence on dead-turning Lankan tracks during the series. The free-flowing Yuvraj will have to fight for his runs, dodging the subtleties of the Lankan spin-trio by making adjustments in his technique as the ball will rarely come on to his bat, thus hampering stroke-play. If Yuvraj is able to do that then we should be rest assured of India retaining the Numero Uno Test rankings.
No one doubts the special talent he possesses but his attitude in recent times has been way off-target. Yuvraj, which we were accustomed to see was lot more bubbly and a live-wire on the field. The southpaw which we knew was one of the best timers of the ball and was once compared with Sir Garfield Sobers, but all that is lost somewhere in midst of meaningless matches and useless night parties.
Today, the Yuvraj we see is lot more circumspect and hardly ever we see that carefree smile on his face. The fielding standard has dropped and he no more patrols the point or cover area. Yuvraj Singh is going through a bad phase but by showing faith in him, selectors have taken one last chance, you can say- that last gamble.
World knows how dangerous a batsman he is and considering his capabilities and talent, one maybe rest assured that Yuvraj is just one innings away from form and glory.
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Mahi
Friday, June 25, 2010
Yuvraj Singh may earn recall for Tests
Yuvraj Singh may earn recall for Tests
out-of-favour Yuvraj Singh may return for the three-Test away series against Sri
Lanka next month, sources said a day ahead of the team selection for the Test
squad.
Yuvraj, who was dropped from the Asia Cup squad for lack of
form and fitness, had also missed the two-match Test series against South Africa
in February due to injury. "There is a 90% chance of Yuvraj coming back into the
Test team for the Sri Lanka series," a team source told TOI.
Pacers
Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma are also expected to make the cut. Sachin Tendulkar,
of course, is available for the series, and Virender Sehwag is expected to
recover in time from the hamstring injury which curtailed his participation in
the Asia Cup.
With Zaheer Khan, Ishant and Sreesanth in the team, the
debate will be on whether to pick a fourth pacer or a third spinner. Leggie Amit
Mishra is expected to make it and the selectors may opt for Pragyan Ojha instead
of another pacer.
Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina, who was in the
Test team for the South Africa series, will also make it to the
team.
"Nothing is decided, but there will be a discussion on whether
to have a fourth pacer or a third spinner," team insiders told TOI on
Thursday.
--
Mahi
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Yuvraj Singh the comeback man
Jun 22nd, 2010 By Marfee
He certainly looked out of sorts in the West Indies. So much so that Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to move him to fine leg from mid wicket, hoping that balls don't go to him that often. He was slow, jaded and a shadow of the past. In batting too he appeared lazy, the feet weren't moving and the match winner in Yuvraj Singh seemed all lost.
However, the Yuvraj Singh I met at his Gurgaon home on June 15 looked totally different. The focus is back; as is the determination. He has surely shed a few kilos and the slight bulge around the waist looks toned. Up early he had already done a fitness session when we caught up over nimboo pani. He wasn't in the mood for an interview and repeatedly kept saying that he wants to let his bat do the talking. I was delighted and relieved at his candid confession�he had a bad phase but the Tri colour on his chest is his most coveted possession. That is where he belongs�the 22 yards in the middle and he is doing all he can to get back. It was inspiring to see him rise to the challenge rather than sounding depressed at getting dropped.
Talented cricketers, most of them in fact, reach a phase in life where they either turn the tables completely or disappear into oblivion. Yuvraj, the champion, is in such a phase of his career. The biggest-ever one day competition on Indian soil is just months away and India needs him to finish the games as also to lend solidity in the middle overs. His blistering sixes can get the fans to raise the decibels, so very necessary when you play at home. And to achieve all this, he first had to come to terms with it all in the mind. Having met him and spent three hours with him, I can confidently assert that he has made the adjustment and it is only a matter of time before we see the old Yuvraj Singh take the field.
After a rigorous three weeks at the NCA in Bangalore, which he claims has done him a world of good, he is currently playing in a domestic competition in Delhi. Time spent in the middle is always of value and Yuvraj, to his credit, has already notched up a superb 150 and a well-composed 70 against the likes of Ishant Sharma. All of these runs, he is right in claiming, are doing their part in getting him back to the groove after a disastrous season of injuries.
In hindsight, it appears that the selectors got it wrong in picking him for the world cup. Out of action with a broken finger, he rushed back to play the IPL�a decision that was ill-timed. Not a single 50 in the 14 matches was indication enough that he wasn't in the best of form and the world cup was too big an occasion to risk him. We did take the risk and suffered the consequences. Since then, however, it has been a different story. He has had the time to self confess, talk to some of his mentors and realise that his talent is too precious to waste. And he is trying his best to make a comeback, a process that is painful for sure, but the rewards are only too huge, reason enough to endure the pain.
There's little doubt that he is one of the champions of the game and we need him in world cup 2011. And let me take a risk and say that from what I have just seen. I am confident that India will get back its match winner just when it matters the most. The jadedness has disappeared and the batting hunger is back. It will soon be time to unleash him yet again.
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