I am ready for opening: Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh has bridged the gap between a one-day and Test batsman in quick time and skipper Sourav Ganguly rewarded him with the prime pos...

Yuvraj Singh has bridged the gap between a one-day and Test batsman in quick time and skipper Sourav Ganguly rewarded him with the prime position in batting order. But the huge responsibility ahead of him does not seem to disturb him.

For Yuvraj, the time has come to march into the league of elites. 8216;8216;Opening in Test matches need different skill. It is definitely a challenge and I am preparing for it. But opening has its own advantages, once you survive the new ball attack, opportunities are aplenty to carry on and build an innings.8217;8217;

Known for his aggressive ways at the crease in one-dayers, does Yuvraj contemplates a change in his batting style that suits Test cricket. 8216;8216;You do not need to change your style to adapt to Test cricket. I think you need to change the mindset, see through the new ball and then play your shots,8217;8217; he said here on Monday.

Regarding the difficulties when a middle-order batsman goes up in the batting order, he said: 8216;8216;Virender Sehwag had no prior experience when he was asked to open the innings. But he had done well in that slot. When you play international cricket, there is no if8217;s and don8217;ts. Whatever the situation, you have to go through it and stay positive,8217;8217; Yuvraj said.

Ganguly on Sunday said that Yuvraj Singh would be the first choice opening batsman for India in Tests. The Indian captain also discussed in detail the importance of a healthy dressing room in shaping the career of a youngster. The Punjab left-hander endorsed this view. 8216;8216;There is quite a lot of youngsters in the team in myself, Sehwag, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Kaif. When we entered the team we walked into a settled unit. The seniors kept on telling us that 8216;we are playing for the best team8217;. And this nice approach by them was great source of inspiration for us,8217;8217; he said.