Yograj Singh, father of India's 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh, is angry at his son not being given a bowl in the ongoing World T20 where Team India has mostly played on slow turners
Yograj Singh and MS Dhoni
Mohali: Yograj Singh brings up the famous lines of Mukesh's song Chal Akela from the 1969 movie Sambandh as he talks about the journey of his famous son Yuvraj Singh.
The father stresses on the following lines: Tera koi sath na de toh tu khud se prit jod le; bichhauna dharti ko karke arre aakash odh le; pura khel abhi jivan ka tune kaha hai khela… chal akela, chal akela, chal akela. The thrust of the song is, 'keep walking alone even if there is no one to support/accompany you'.
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Yuvraj Singh walks with his equipment at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali near Chandigarh on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Yograj (58), who played one Test and six ODIs for India in 1980-81, is still to get over the hurt after his son got dropped from the Indian team a couple of years ago.
"There is great pain in my heart about the way my son is being treated. Why was he dropped from the Indian team? Is it because of the (2014 World T20) final against Sri Lanka?
Yograj Singh
Different yardsticks
"There are bloody 10,000 cricketers playing for the country. They have not been performing time and again, but why do you have different yardsticks for different people," Yograj says in an interview with mid-day on Saturday.
Yuvraj made a comeback into the Indian team just in time for the World T20. Since then, he has not quite set the stage on fire as was expected. In 10 T20I innings, he has scored 234, batting mostly at No 5, with his best being 60.
"I have played under the greatest captain — Ashok Mankad — so I know what is going around. After not playing international cricket for two years and then making a comeback is fantastic — hats off to him. The captain expects him to perform and then suddenly drops him to No 7 (against Bangladesh).
"What the f**k is happening? What is the captain trying to prove?," asks Yograj, not hiding his ire over Yuvraj's batting position being changed.
"When shuffling happens too often, questions arise in the mind (of the player) and that this is not cricket. A player wonders whether he is needed or not. The captain has to be very careful in what he is dealing with.
'Don't worry son'
"I have told my son not to worry because his time will come and that is just around the corner. Let me see MS Dhoni being dropped for two years or anybody else getting dropped and making a comeback to the Indian team and whether they score a single run," Yograj blasted.
Yuvraj, who was instrumental with his bowling as well in India's 2011 World Cup win, has bowled only 14 overs in 14 matches, claiming four wickets at an economy rate of 6.71.
In the ongoing World T20 where Team India has mostly played on slow turners, Yuvraj is still waiting for Dhoni to toss the ball to him.
"If he (Dhoni) does not like him, he should bloody well tell the selectors about it. If he has got anything personal with him, he can take it out, but by doing this, you are destroying the team. Imagine Yuvraj not bowling on such turning wickets where he has claimed 15 wickets in the 2011 World Cup. The world is watching this," said Yograj.
Veteran all-rounder Yuvraj will play his second T20 international on his homeground here today. In his first, against Sri Lanka on December 12, 2009, his unbeaten 60 off 25 balls (3x4, 5x6) earned him the man-of-the-match award in India's six-wicket win over the islanders.
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