Profile:
At 20, Yuvraj Singh has already been in and out of the Indian team
many times. After making his debut in the ICC KnockOut in Kenya in
dramatic fashion, Yuvraj was celebrated as the architect of a revival in
Indian cricket. A spanking 80-ball 84 against Australia - his first
knock in international cricket - showed that the tall lad from
Chandigarh had what it took to perform at the highest level. Following
that knock, however, Yuvraj suffered a bad run of scores before
eventually being dropped from the team when the Australians toured India
in early 2001.
In the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August 2001, Yuvraj broke a run of
bad form with a breezy unbeaten 98 against the hosts. Running out of
overs on that occasion, the century eluded - and continues to elude -
Yuvraj. After a disastrous tour of South Africa, Yuvraj was dropped for
the home series against England.
He only regained his place in the side against Zimbabwe in early
2002. In consecutive matches, Yuvraj came in with India chasing stiff
targets. With match-winning knocks of 80* and 75, Yuvraj was once again
the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket.
A well-built lad, Yuvraj strikes the ball very hard. His critics feel
that he is uncomfortable and unbalanced driving off the front foot, and
that might be borne out by the fact that he has fallen to spinners on a
number of occasions. A useful left-arm spinner, Yuvraj sometimes
refrains from bowling because of a recurring back strain that threatened
to put him out of action more than once. An explosive fielder inside the
circle, Yuvraj has impressed everyone with his ability to pull off
sensational catches and run-outs. Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh
represented India in one Test against New Zealand in 1981. (Anand
Vasu)