Whenever I go in, I need to play till the end: Yuvraj

The effort in the Caribbean has been to build around a player who is set, says the southpaw

Leaning causally against the wall by the pool table, laughing loudly at a one-liner from Sachin Tendulkar, his pal Harbhajan Singh looking on, it is very difficult to believe that this was the same face from that gut-wrenching October photograph.

Then, he was straining to turn the corner in a mock kho-kho game during a practice round for the Champions Trophy, one leg bent at a strange angle, the knee in a twist, the face contorted in pain. Many said, Yuvraj Singh’s career was over.

Today, he is back in the Indian team, with just one sparkling innings of 95 in 91 balls against the Sri Lankans in Vizag last month to prove why he deserves to be here. Just three batting stints in four matches in the last four months, will he fire? Greg Chappell is waiting, India is watching, and Yuvraj takes some time off at India’s warm-up venue in Jamaica to say: I can.

Excerpts from a press meet:

ME, THE FINISHER

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I have had a good run in one-dayers, so whenever I go in to bat I always think that I need to play till the end, especially when I am well set. I have been doing that decently well, the captain has faith in me. That’s what I am trying to do in this World Cup. Try and play till the end, try and play according to the situation. Whatever number I go in to bat.

INJURY AND COMEBACK

Obviously, I have worked really hard on my fitness. It wasn’t easy coming back from such an injury. But you have to now build on it. The thing is, there has been a lot of time before the first game of the World Cup. So we have time to work on our fitness, and work on our skills. So I am sure, by the time I play my first game on March 17, I will be 100 per cent.

MY TEAM, MY RUNS

I am very happy when my contributions end up in the team winning. But it cannot be possible all the time. I always feel happy when I score and the team wins. But if I score a 100, or a 50, and the team doesn’t win, it doesn’t make a difference.

BATTING SPOT: DON’T KNOW

I don’t know, actually. I bat at No 6. But (here), whatever, the number they tell me to bat at, I am going to do that. I have to bat according to the situation. You have to do what the team tells you to do.

BOWLING: WHY NOT?

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I have been working quite hard on my bowling. I have always made the effort. Yes, I bowled well yesterday, but against better opposition, it’s going to be tougher. So hopefully, I will be able to do a good job.

SLOW TURF, SMART STRATEGY

The wickets are a bit slow. You have to see the fifth bowler option, when two right-handers are batting, or two left-handers. So after the fourth bowler, me, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have to bowl well. Whoever is bowling well on a particular day should bowl the most on that day. (For batsmen), the ball doesn’t come onto the bat the way you want it to. You have to spend time in the middle and take your time. Assess the wicket and work out what score you need to put on the board. These things are going to be very important.

CLASS IN THE MIDDLE

We have enough experience in the middle over. There’s Rahul, there’s Dhoni. These guys have done very well in given situations. So we have the experience to tackle any situation. But then, it depends on whether we can all come together and execute the plan in the right time.

GET SET, CARRY ON

It is very important that you get set, because you can’t make runs in every match. Whoever gets a good start will have to bat till the end. The rest will have to work around him. So that’s what the team’s effort has been, to build around a player who is set. Obviously, in our team, every batsman had a different role, the openers and middle-over batsmen. One will play an attacking role, the other will plan to play through 50 overs.

AND SWITCH ON, PLEASE

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It is very important that you should be switched on 100 per cent every time. But we had some good momentum from yesterday. Now we have a game against West Indies, so I think it is important to switch on in the right time, too.

LOTS OF HARD WORK

It’s very important that you come here early, assess the climate, get used to the jetlag. It takes some time to get used to the conditions. We have worked really hard over the last three-four days, and everybody’s getting used to the conditions. It’s a big event, all the teams have come here and are spending time playing practice matches. It’s very important that before you play the first game, you are 100 per cent ready, otherwise there is no point.

GREAT PLACE for great start

In India, if we are doing an interview, there will be 1,000 people standing. Sometimes, it’s good for your mental peace that you are out. There aren’t too many people bothering you, you are not on the phone all the time. This is the best time I can keep my phone in the room and simply hang around. It’s quite relaxing and you get enough to mentally prepare yourself for practice and games. This is the perfect scenario… It’s a nice place to hang around, come to the beach, go to the pool, sit at the restaurant. The weather is really nice, the boys are enjoying it.

FINALLY, SOME ALOO-GOBI

There are a couple of Indians here, who have invited us over to have Indian food. But normally, when you come out of India you get to taste other curries. But yes, you miss home because that is where you get aloo-gobi.