Yuvraj Singh, a key to India's WC plans : Working his way back into the fold

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More... Working his way back into the fold K.C. Vijaya Kumar Yuvraj's 58 at Vizag was a significant contribution KEY PLAYER:With the World Cup around the corner, India needs Yuvraj Singh to shine in all aspects of his game — as a powerful batsman, a weaver of productive batting alliances, a handy left-arm spinner and an agile fielder. Margao: The last fortnight in Indian cricket has been a tale of fearless youth wielding the bat with aplomb while the masters continued to sparkle. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara at Bangalore, and now, Virat Kohli at Visakhapatnam have surely gladdened the hearts of the fans and the connoisseurs, as have stalwarts V.V.S. Laxman who stood firm at Mohali and Sachin Tendulkar who gave the cheering Bangaloreans sore throats. Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh has been busy rebuilding his career. Fitness issues and vagaries of form have plagued Yuvraj over the last year. After an indifferent run in the tri-series at Dhaka and the alleged pub-brawl incident during the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies in May, Yuvraj seemed to lose his way. The selectors dropped him from the Asia Cup squad. Though he was subsequently sent to Sri Lanka for a tri-series, an imposing knock remained elusive. After Suresh Raina bagged Yuvraj's Test berth with a century at Colombo, the southpaw's despair seemed complete. The Indian team think-tank, however, has enormous belief in Yuvraj's potential — M.S. Dhoni recently said: “He is a kind of player who can change gears at any point of the game and take control. At the same time, he has played over 250 ODIs, which means he has got a lot of experience behind him. Apart from that, his bowling is very important for us because if we decide to play with four bowlers, we will use the other part-timer as the fifth bowler. He has got both dimensions of the game and that will help us.” Big part of the plans Yuvraj remains a key player in India's plans as the World Cup looms, and his success in the coming days will gift a sigh of relief to his team-mates. His 58 at Visakhapatnam — though dwarfed to a certain extent by Virat Kohli's in-the-trenches ton and Raina's blitz — was a significant contribution in a tall chase that ended with India gaining a 1-0 lead against Australia in the current ODI series. When Yuvraj walked into bat at Visakhapatnam with India struggling at 35 for two while chasing 290, nerves jangled at the venue. He soon eased his front foot and whipped John Hastings over his favourite mid-wicket region and a sense of calm enveloped the ground as he and Kohli chiselled out a crucial 137-run third-wicket partnership that proved to be a match-winning stand. Yuvraj is often trapped in the image of being a player who can single-handedly destroy attacks — a description built on innumerable big-hits and that classic six sixes off Stuart Broad. That perception, while valid, glosses over Yuvraj's partnership-building ability. In the past, Yuvraj and Rahul Dravid have scored 2,663 runs together in ODIs. He has also teamed up well with Dhoni and the dashing duo have notched up 2,365 runs that have often heralded Indian victories. The game's longer version may have gotten away from him but the hunger to shine in whites is still there as he made it obvious with a double hundred while recently leading Rest of India to an Irani Trophy triumph against Mumbai. India needs Yuvraj to shine in all his facets — as a powerful batsman, a weaver of productive batting alliances, a handy left-arm spinner and an agile fielder despite a dodgy knee.

[achilles]

C'mon Yuvi. You can and you will be the Prince of Indian Cricket. Work on your game and work hard. We all trust you and are confident that in the World Cup Final in 2011, your raised fist will signal to the world that you are one of the best Middle-order batsman that India has produced.

[canadianIndian]

Yuvi should follow this mantra: 1. Physical fitness: Lose the extra bulge and get back into shape. 2. No late light parties. 3. Stay grounded. Focus less on antics more on batting. 4. Practice 5. Practice 6. Practice

[Ranjha]

Yuvi should follow this mantra: 1. Physical fitness: Lose the extra bulge and get back into shape. 2. No late light parties. 3. Stay grounded. Focus less on antics more on batting. 4. Practice 5. Practice 6. Practice

1. Definately. 2. No. Parties are fun. 3. No. Every player is different and different things bring out the best in them. 4. Sure. 5. Whynot. 6. Yup.

[spectre]

In the current team, UV is the most important ODI player, after Sachin and Raina He can single handedly win matches and can up the scoring rate in a matter of few overs. I dont understand how people say he is not a certainity and being pitted against Rohit Sharma for the MO spot :banghead:

[The Dark Horse]

UV should be a hit for us to get anywhere near the world cup.

[Castro]

He will be one of the important players alongisde Tendulkar and Dhoni. Let's hope he will fire in the 2011 world cup. I am sure he will be very determined to win the cup for India. India's batting is very powerful with Shewag, Tendu, Raina, Dhoni, Yuvi, Kholi.

[Sachin2210]

I like this guy.I always pray he gets a big score whenever he is out there in the middle because even his short cameo of 30-40 runs is full of beautiful strokes and absolute treat to watch. Definitely our one of the key players for the world cup.And,I am sure everybody would love to see an in-form UV who would rip apart the bowling attack and turn around the game single-handedly.