Yograj Singh being Yograj Singh.
One person who was really moved by Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni's superlative knocks at Cuttack was Yuvraj's father and Dhoni's bitter critic Yograj Singh. Yograj Singh told Indian Express that the knock had made him forgive Dhoni and that India could have won the 2015 World Cup if Yuvraj Singh was in the squad. He also said that Yuvraj, Dhoni or Kohli could play till 40 they if they stayed fit.
He said: “People use to say that I’m being harsh with the nine-year old and said that if he continues to train like this he would die. They use to call me ‘a heartless father’ but somewhere or the other I had a belief that this child has the caliber to achieve great heights. We use to train for 2 to 3 hours everyday and I think the struggle he has gone or the patience he has shown, God has been kind to him. I believe age doesn’t matter, it’s the way you keep your body fit. The way Yuvi, Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni are playing they can play till 40. Yuvraj has won us matches in past, he has played so many match winning knocks. Only thing that hurts me is that we wasted a lot of time. We could have won the 2015 World Cup if he would have been in the squad. Dhoni’s burden could have been shared.”
He claimed it was the most beautiful partnership he had ever seen, and said he was glad that Dhoni had also scored a century, with both of them in the middle, India could go and win tournaments in the future as well. He also said: “The way both of them (Yuvraj and MS Dhoni) batted and rescued India, this had made me forgive Dhoni. The way the duo batted and supported each other, this showed their love for each other, their love for the country.”
He went on to say: “And I was never critical about him (Dhoni). According to me, being a captain he should have gone to the selectors and should have said that I need him (Yuvraj) in the middle order. But unfortunately, he wasted 2-3 years of Yuvi’s cricket career. Better late than never, he is back and I thank Virat for showing confidence in my son and I’m sure he will go on to win more matches for India.” Yograj also praised his daughter-in-law Hazel Keech who he said followed the same diet and exercise as Yuvraj.
Yuvraj reveals Kohli’s trust helped him
Yuvraj Singh did contemplate retirement at one stage after his fight with cancer but it was skipper Virat Kohli's trust that has kept him going which made it important for him to repay that faith. Yuvraj is once again the toast of the nation with his career-best knock of 150 against England.
"Self-confidence is always there when you have the backing of the team and captain. I think Virat has showed a lot of trust in me and it was very important for me that people in the dressing room trust me," Yuvraj said after India's series clinching win in the second ODI.
"There was a time when I was wondering whether to continue or not to continue. I think a lot of people have helped me throughout this journey. So, never giving up is my theory. So I never gave up, kept working hard. I knew times will change," the 35-year-old said.
His last international hundred came way back in 2011 World Cup in Chennai and no wonder he is happy after his 14th ton. "It feels great. It's been a while since I got a hundred.
I came back after recovering from cancer, the first 2-3 years were very hard. I had to work hard on my fitness and I was in and out of the team. I was not able to get a permanent spot." Yuvraj returned on the back of a strong performances in Ranji Trophy this season that saw him hit another career-best -- 260 against Baroda in October last year.
"I've been batting well in the domestic season. And I've been hitting the ball really well. I wanted to make it big on my day," he said. His inclusion had mixed reactions with some feeling that selectors were going backwards but nothing affected the stylish left-hander. "I don't think about who's reacting to what nor do I read newspapers. I don't watch TV too. I try to focus on my game and prove a point to myself that I'm still good enough for international cricket. So I guess I was good today." For now, the immediate goal is to be consistent in the coming matches.
"Definitely, 150 is a huge score in one-day cricket. It's my highest and taken a long time to get there but I am very happy it happened today. Hopefully, in the coming time I can contribute more consistently." Yuvraj found his old ally in MS Dhoni who also brought up a century (134 from 122 balls) as they added 256 runs for the fourth wicket. Asked what were they discussing during the partnership, Yuvraj said:"Nothing much. We two were the most experienced players in the team. He realised that I was getting boundaries. He was just there rotating the strike and our first target to make a 25 runs together then go for 50 partnership. After that we wanted to take it further to 100. I think once that happened we were both set."
With inputs from agencies
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