Left could prove right

Ever since his return last month, Yuvraj has played four matches. While he didn’t bat in one, the southpaw managed scores of 10, 21 and an unbeaten 95 in the third to mark his return. On the eve of his departure to the West Indies, where his presence in the struggling middle-order is sure to provide relief, Yuvraj was confident of a good showing during the two-month sojourn.

“The Vizag one-dayer did a lot more good in terms of confidence. After the comeback, the one important thing for me was to bat for a longer duration in the middle and that knock helped in many ways,’’ the batsman told The Indian Express.

Reckoned by many as one of the cleanest hitters, Yuvraj is not sure whether the experience from the tour of the West Indies last year would be beneficial. “I don’t quite believe it’ll be the same this time around. And anyway, if it does turn out to be the same kind of wickets we played on (slow and low), we know how to adjust,’’ he says.

Yuvraj averaged more than 60 in his four matches during the one-day series in the West Indies last year with two half-centuries against his name. Now that he’s recovered from the knee trouble, Yuvraj hopes the performance gets better this time around.

“In a way, I can add that the break gave me ample rest like never before. Of course, there was a lot of frustration building up with the injury and over whether I would be back on my toes in time,” he says.

Yuvraj went on to add how “in the company of physio John Gloster and trainer Gregory King,” he had worked hard on his fitness over the last month to make this return in time. “I went through a lot of exercises and there was a daily routine of physical conditioning that played a major part in the healing process,” he says.

In the batsman’s opinion there are going to be no outright favourites in this World Cup. If there are any, he insists, India can be counted among them. “We are as good as any one-day team can be. We have the experience and the youngsters are a lot more accomplished now,” he says.

Yuvraj’s talk does have that touch of arrogance to it. Precisely, in the same measure that India would need to have their way in the West Indies. If only he can manage to time those pulls and drives as exquisitely as he always does, the middle-order will definitely have a lot more to rely on.