Virat is batting beautifully and I hope he continues to do that: Yuvraj Singh

Everyone who knows cricket and follows Indian cricket particularly knows how big a match winner Yuvraj Singh is and it is his potential and ability that has pushed the Indian team management to back him. Yuvi has been a part of the Indian team since the 1st T20I in Australia and has maintained his spot for straight 9 matches despite the fact that he hasn’t been able to deliver the kind of punch he is expected to.

But the persistence seems to be fruiting as Yuvraj showed glimpses of his own self during the 18-ball 35 runs knock against Sri Lanka last night. The shots were coming out nicely and more importantly, his own confidence of pulling it off was restored.

Following the game the champion southpaw in a chat with BCCI.tv said, “Today was one of those days where I felt my flow was back. I needed a bit of a flow out there to feel good. I felt being positive out there when I got a few hits off my bat. I felt that my game is back,”

“I just needed some time in the middle. I have been trying to get as much batting time as possible and I believe I have been picking up slowly,” he said.

“I was assessing which bowlers I am going to attack and which bowlers I won’t. I told myself that if a left-arm spinner is bowling, then I am going to go and attack straight away. Any left-hand batsman who can hit sixes will go after left-arm spin,” said Yuvraj.

“If an off-spinner is bowling, a right-hander is bound to target him and go after him. You have a game plan when you walk out to bat and at times it works and at times it doesn’t. Tonight I just wanted to be positive and hit the ball straight away and deliver for the team,” he elaborated.

He remained unbeaten during the chase of 84 in the last match and played a slow, full of patience knock of 14. More than the runs his stay at the middle allowed Virat Kohli to bat freely and in the end, he stayed there to see the team home.

“Last game, it was a different situation where we needed to take a spell out and get a partnership going. I took my time out there where I could leave a lot of balls and get a partnership going along with Virat Kohli. It was a small total so I could take a lot of time,” he said.

“This game we needed more than seven runs an over so it was important for me to be positive tonight. I just wanted to go and get my flow back. Once my flow is back, I feel that I belong here. I take a lot of confidence from this innings because I needed a few big hits and when you are striking the ball like I was today, it gives you a lot of confidence going into the next games,” he explained.

He praised Kohli who has been in the best form of his life, hitting back to back winning knocks.

“I feel he has been in the form of his life for the last five to six years. He has been very consistent and he knows his role really well. He is batting beautifully and I hope he continues to do that,” he said.

Yuvraj also emphasized the fact that most guys in the team know their exact roles and he also knows his share of responsibility and has been trying his best to fill in for it.

“I want to get better every game. Hopefully, I can continue this good run ahead. I believe it is my responsibility to go and change the game (scenario) for the team. Hopefully, I can do it more than once,” he said.