Local hero flatters only to deceive at end

At the end of the day’s play, two men sat outside the Indian dressing room with their eyes glued on the laptop in front of them. Time a...

At the end of the day’s play, two men sat outside the Indian dressing room with their eyes glued on the laptop in front of them. Time and again, Yuvraj Singh would raise his left hand, play a mock shot and then look towards the dark sky above in a huge disappointment. Sitting next to him, coach John Wright quietly patted the youngster’s back, cheered him a bit, and then pointed out the error.

Twenty runs off 76 balls with just eight scoring shots is not one of the greatest Test debuts. And for someone, who was at last getting his big break after proving himself in the ODIs, this certainly was a learning experience.


A dejected Yuvraj on his way back to the pavillion. Kamleshwar Singh

A huge roar from the crowd welcomed Yuvraj to the crease. For him this was an opportunity to show that he could handle the pressure and challenge at Test level. Daniel Vettori had just dismissed Tendulkar and looked set to spin a web around the nervous Yuvraj. With prospects of follow on looming large, Yuvraj needed to curb his usual aggressive play. But it seemed he couldn’t decide whether to attack or mould himself for a typical-Test knock.

According to former India star Maninder Singh: “Yuvraj went into a shell. He wasn’t playing the kind of cricket he is known for.”

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But the local lad did open up against Vettori whom he smashed over the mid-wicket for a huge six and then later cut him for a boundary. So what did the Kiwi left-arm spinner think about India’s young star?

“I think he is a very good batsman and we were not underestimating his prowess,” Vettori said.

Words of some comfort.

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