The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Yuvraj looks to dazzle

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Friday, Mar 09, 2007
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Yuvraj looks to dazzle

Trelawny (Jamaica): Yuvraj Singh had plenty of time to think about how to approach batting at the World Cup while he was sidelined with knee and back injuries. Now he is desperate to put it into practice.

Yuvraj sealed his place in India's star-studded batting line-up only last month with an impressive innings and some dazzling catches after months of doubt about his availability for the marquee limited-overs cricket tournament.

He was out for nearly three months with a ruptured ligament in his left knee that occurred in training ahead of a Champions Trophy match against Australia in October.

When recalled to the national squad last month to test his fitness, a stressed back kept the 25-year-old left-hander out of a few more matches.

But he made the most of a last opportunity with an unbeaten 95 from 83 balls against Sri Lanka on February 17 as India secured the four-match series.

"I've worked very hard on my fitness, it wasn't easy coming out of that knee injury," Singh said. "I'm obviously eager to do well and contribute to India's success."

A crucial cog

Yuvraj was India's most impressive limited-overs batsmen last year before injuring himself in practice.

"The Indian team has the experience to tackle all situations, we now need to deliver," he said. "We all want to produce our best performance here, the World Cup is a do-or-die situation for every team."

Skipper Rahul Dravid recently said Yuvraj has one of the most crucial roles to play for India in the Caribbean.

This is despite that fact that the Indian batting line-up features Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Dravid himself, all among the top six run-scorers in the history of one-day internationals. Despite the batting depth, Yuvraj said India is taking no team for granted.

"This is the World Cup and you take one step at a time," Yuvraj said. — AP

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