Former all-rounder says Yuvraj Singh is going through difficult times, but is confident that the left-hander will return to form soon and start winning matches for India
Yuvraj Singh and Kapil Dev
Mirpur: India have got off to a near perfect start at the World T20 here, beating Pakistan and the West Indies, in their opening matches. However, Yuvraj Singh's lack of form is something that is a cause for concern for Dhoni & Co.
Also read: What's wrong with India's ace batsman Yuvraj Singh?
Yuvraj Singh is bowled by Bilawal Bhatti in the game against Pakistan last Friday. Pic/AFP
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Former India captain Kapil Dev too is worried about Yuvi's failure to get among the runs and the legendary all-rounder sent the experienced batsman a message before leaving for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Laureus World Sports Awards yesterday. It read: ""Don't worry. Everything will be alright."
Yuvraj has managed to score only 11 runs in two games, but more importantly, got out when all that he needed to do was stay there and knock off the winning runs, with India under no pressure.
Kapil told mid-day: " Bura time sab ka aata hai aur chala bhi jaata hai (Everyone passes through difficult times, but they fade away). But the fact is that he is totally out of touch. That's why he could not take a single to win the match against West Indies.
"However, he can still win matches for India." Kapil is one of the judges for the prestigious Laureus awards and will be joined by former Aussie captain Steve Waugh in Malaysia before returning to Dhaka for commentary duty on March 27.
Dhoni optimistic
Meanwhile, Dhoni is optimistic about Yuvraj's return to form and blamed his current woes on the fact that the left-hander has lost his place in the Indian ODI team which has made it difficult for him to face good bowlers regularly.
"Yuvraj is one of the best players in T20 cricket, but yes you can say that he is not in great touch at the moment. It becomes tough when you are dropped from ODIs and then you make a comeback in the T20 squad. So there's a bit of pressure on him," said Dhoni.
"It's easy to say that it is a short format, but when an individual comes into the squad, there is bound to be pressure on him," he added. Yuvraj scored 10 off 19 balls during the seven-wicket win over the West Indies on Sunday evening and managed a solitary run against Pakistan last Friday.
"It takes one or two matches. Probably, he will get back into flow as we know how good a match-winner he is. He can turn a game on his own. Today (Sunday) the plan was to have a higher net run-rate, but at the same time give Yuvraj a chance to settle his nerves. If he is in flow, Yuvi is a good asset to have," Dhoni insisted.
11
Number of runs Yuvraj has scored in two matches
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