Father provides clue to Yuvraj Singh's mystery inspiration

Yuvraj Singh has plunged an entire cricket-crazy nation into a stifling suspense with his reference to a mystery person he attributes his red hot form to.

His father reckons it could well be Sachin Tendulkar.

The southpaw collected his fourth man-of-the-match award in the World Cup after scripting India's quarter-final victory against four-time champions Australia on Thursday.

In the post-match press conference, Singh said he was playing the tournament for a 'special person', whose identity he would only reveal if India reached next Saturday's final.

The speculation has not stopped since and his father Yograj Singh, a former India player, hinted it could be Tendulkar.

"I would not be surprised if he meant Sachin," Yograj told Reuters by phone from Chandigargh on Sunday as India counted down the hours for the highly-anticipated semi-final against Pakistan on Wednesday.

"Sachin has been a huge influence in his life over the last 11 years or so. He has always been there when Yuvraj was going through a difficult phase in his career.

"Sachin is not just a great cricketer but also a great human being. He has been Yuvraj's guiding angel. My son is very close to him and shares things he would not share with anyone else."

Poor form and injuries blighted the career of one of India's most exciting cricket talents but Yuvraj, architect of India's 2007 Twenty20 World Cup victory, once again showed his impeccable sense of occasion in the tournament.

Yograj Singh said his son owes the turnaround to Tendulkar.

"Sachin must have been my son in previous life or some other close relation. He has been the best thing to happen to Indian cricket and also to Yuvraj," said Yograj Singh, a former medium pacer who played his only test against New Zealand in 1981 at Wellington.

"He advised Yuvraj to keep working hard and maintain focus. There was lot of scepticism in the air but only his mother and Sachin had an unflinching trust in my son.

"Frankly speaking, any cricketer who has listened to Sachin has benefitted. When he eventually retires, the cricket board should appoint Sachin the mentor of the Indian cricket team. He can turn any ordinary player into a phenomenal cricketer."