The angry young man of Indian cricket is back in full swing.
The arrogance and the flair is forming a deadly combo as Yuvraj Singh, with every passing day, is looking like the Yuvi of old. There's this intent to show the world that he is still very much the same player that helped him become one of the hottest properties of Indian cricket a couple of years back.
"There's no change in me since the beginning of the World Cup, I am the same old..." Yuvi may try to tone down the upswing, but deep down the swashbuckling left-hander knows that a few things have turned around for him. Not that every move of MS Dhoni has worked in this World Cup so far, but one thing's for sure, his confidence in the southpaw just ahead of the quadrennial showpiece is paying dividends. When someone had asked the skipper whether it's Yuvi's bowling that is keeping him in the team, Dhoni had said: "It's an added advantage no doubt, but I have full faith in Yuvraj Singh the batsman.....Just see what he does if he gets a couple of fifties."
The words have turned prophetic, the Punjab boy got the fifties early on, and since then he hasn't looked back. All those breathtaking shots are coming back thick and fast and the century against the West Indies is bound to boost his confidence going into the quarterfinal against Australia at Ahmedabad later this week.
"I have worked on my batting and the results are showing. I had my quota of injuries and poor form, but as you know, tough people stand out in tough times," Yuvi said, with the smile still intact.
Even as the likes of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina were coming up, Dhoni believed before the beginning of the tournament that No. 4 is the best position for the southpaw. Yuvi, himself, too believes the same as that gives him "more time to build an innings".
"When you come at No. 5, you may not always get the same number of deliveries that you get if you are playing at 4."
The Indian team management went with Yuvi at No. 4 on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and reaped the benefits. He took a little time to settle down and once he started playing the shots, runs flowed. A century in 112 balls isn't exactly breathtaking Yuvi, but then it gave the left-hander his first international century in two years and huge boost in confidence. "Oh was it the first in two years? You guys keep count..." the left-hander said with the laugh, but everybody present in the press-conference room on Sunday night could see that there was a sense of relief in his body language.
The bowling form, too, has helped Yuvi to feel confident about the situation. On a wicket that has a bit in it for the spinners, he now has the confidence of giving the ball a little bit of air, which allows the delivery to turn away from the batsmen. With offies Harbhajan Singh and R. Ashwin likely to be retained for the quarterfinal match, Yuvi's left-arm spin can provide the much-needed variety against Australia.
"The wickets are coming and that is good for me and Australia are no longer the Australia of old....Gilchrist and Warne are gone, Ricky Ponting is not in the best of form. We have it in us to beat them," Yuvi was brimming with confidence. It's to be seen whether it's the same for his team members as well as they prepare to turn the table on the four-time world champions.
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