<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/14767708.cms" alt="/photo/14767708.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">I</span>t is not long back that young Yuvraj Singh was seen as epitomising the revival of Indian cricket. After a scintillating performance on debut in the ICC Knock Trophy at Nairobi, Yuvraj was compared to Sachin Tendulkar and seen as one of the best things to happen to Indian cricket in recent times.<br />The rapid-fire 84 off 80 balls against the mighty Aussies in the ICC Knockout was a fluent knock and his brilliant run out of Michael Bevan and a superb catch to dismiss Ian Harvey swung the match decisively in India''s favour.
Yuvraj who cut a dashing figure in the middle even won praise from Steve Waugh. But then things started going horribly wrong for Yuvraj. The law of averages finally caught up with the flamboyant left-hander from Punjab and a string of rash shots leading to a string of lose scores had the press baying for his blood.<br />In spite of being the best talent on view, Yuvraj failed to win the confidence of the selectors. His inability to read Muralitharan in Sharjah did not help matters. In the tri-series in Sri Lanka, Yuvraj burst into the scene again with a well-made 98 against Lanka. But the South African tour saw Yuvraj struggle and he was dropped for the home series against England.<br />The very flamboyance that had buoyed him to instant stardom began coming under the microscope. Yuvraj had set himself high standards, which elicited equally high expectations. The top brass at the BCCI decided that the youngster need a little rap on the knuckles and Yuvraj found himself out on the cold.<br />Yuvraj was also criticised for having an attitude problem and his innings against Australia being little more than a flash in the pan. But you cannot keep a good man down for long and Yuvraj bounced back in the series against Zimbabwe in 2002 when in back-to-back matches, he played match-winning innings of 80 not out and 75. The selectors could no longer afford to ignore Yuvraj and he was back on rails for the tour to England.<br />The maturity that the southpaw has shown in the ongoing NatWest triangular series should hold him in good stead. Coming in to bat under pressure against England, Yuvraj was a study in concentration as he along with Dravid systematically went about blunting the English bowling attack. Earlier in the same match, Yuvraj had been instrumental in stemming the flow of runs taking three vital English wickets at crucial junctures.<br />Dravid''s innings was important but without Yuvraj''s free flowing strokeplay at the other end, he would not have been able to win the match on his own. In fact apart from Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj alone has the ability to win matches for India on his own. He did it in the ICC Trophy, again against Zimbabwe and yet again against England and Sri Lanka.<br />One of the fittest players in the Indian squad and a live wire on the field, Yuvraj has made a big difference in India''s efforts in the field. In the past Yuvraj has pulled off some sensational catches and effected brilliant run outs. As a batsman Yuvraj comes to be a natural strokeplayer with a propensity to play the big shots too often. Yuvraj is still a little uncomfortable against the spinners and needs to work on that part of his game.<br />A more than useful left-arm spinner, Yuvraj provides Ganguly with an extra bowling option. If handled judiciously, Yuvraj can be easily slip into the role that Shahid Afridi performs so well for Pakistan in the middle overs. A supremely confident cricketer, Yuvraj oozes confidence which is sometimes misinterpreted as being all attitude. It is this very swagger that augurs well for Indian cricket. Ajay Jadeja lent that bit of aggression to the Indian side in the past and Yuvraj is in the same mould.<br />Cutting a dashing figure in the ground, Yuvraj has a huge fan following and sponsors are tripping themselves over in their zest to rope him in. The youngster has an agent of his own to deal with sponsors and has a lavish lifestyle. But then Yuvraj is a product of his times and the fact that he likes living it up cannot be held against him. With the World Cup drawing near, Yuvraj Singh seems to be one of India''s best bet and the youngster needs to be persisted with. Yuvraj now seems to be taking his cricket more seriously and this is the right time to provide him some encouragement in the shape of a regular slot in the squad.<br />ONE-DAY Career</div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: 0"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="93.2%"> <colgroup> <col width="16.3%" /> <col width="15.6%" /> <col width="17.1%" /> <col width="9.6%" /> <col width="13.3%" /> <col width="11.6%" /> <col width="15.6%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="16.3%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Matches </div> </td> <td width="15.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Runs </div> </td> <td width="17.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Highest Score </div> </td> <td width="9.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Average </div> </td> <td width="13.3%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Strike Rate </div> </td> <td width="11.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Catches </div> </td> <td width="15.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">Wickets </div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="16.3%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">35 </div> </td> <td width="15.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">759 </div> </td> <td width="17.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">98 </div> </td> <td width="9.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">29.19 </div> </td> <td width="13.3%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">90.34 </div> </td> <td width="11.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">14 </div> </td> <td width="15.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" ffffff=""> <div class="Normal">15 </div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"></div> </div>
