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Happy but not completely satisfied, says Yuvraj

Special Correspondent

— Photo: AFP

ANCHORMAN: Kumar Sangakkara came up with a judicious yet aggressive century to help Sri Lanka post a competitive total.

Adelaide: Yuvraj Singh said no cricketer’s career could be a straight line after his match-winning effort against Sri Lanka here on Tuesday.

The left-hander said there would be ups and downs in a sporting journey and it was up to the concerned cricketer to overcome adversity.

Yuvraj also thanked skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for backing him through tough times. “I am happy but not completely satisfied,” said Yuvraj. “I should have made a hundred and guided the side home.”

The left-hander said he had been batting well at the nets and had wanted to translate that touch into runs in matches.

“I decided to play my shots. We had to keep the asking-rate in mind,” he said.

On playing Muttiah Muralitharan with a lot more confidence, Yuvraj revealed he had seen tapes of how Gautam Gambhir had batted against the off-spinner. “I learnt a lot by watching those tapes,” he said.

Yuvraj pointed out that his place in the ODI squad should never be in doubt. He added performances in Tests should not be clubbed with ODI cricket.

The left-hander had words of praise for the manner Dhoni has been batting with the lower order. “He has been remarkable. I think the other batsmen should learn from him.”

Non-committal

Yuvraj was non-committal about Virender Sehwag’s exclusion. “I think it depends on what kind of composition the team wants,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said his side’s total was about 15 to 20 runs short. “We should have made more runs in the end,” he admitted.

Jayawardene was also disappointed by the side’s fielding. “I think we conceded 15 more runs than we should have.”

The innings from Yuvraj and Dhoni were different he said. “Both were good knocks. Dhoni’s effort ended the match.”

Jayawardene complimented Kumar Sangakkara for his hundred. “This is the best I have seen him bat for quite some time,” he said.

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