Sri Lanka and Kings XI Punjab captain Sangakkara believes the Indian left-hander will benefit from the forced break
Sri Lanka and Kings XI Punjab captain Sangakkara believes the Indian left-hander will benefit from the forced break
Yuvraj Singh must be a demoralised man after being axed from the Indian one-day team for the Asia Cup. The left-hand batsman's career is at the crossroads following loss of form, fitness and disciplinary issues.
However, Kumar Sangakkara, the skipper of Asia Cup hosts Sri Lanka backed Yuvraj to emerge a stronger player from the forced break.
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Both have been playingu00a0 together for the last three years for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League where Yuvraj played under Sangakkara's captaincy last season.u00a0
India will also be without their key batsman Sachin Tendulkar who has decided to skip the Asia Cup which starts from April 15.
In normal circumstances, any opposition captain would have believed that half the battle is won if Tendulkar is not in the rival team, but the seasoned Sangakkarau00a0 refused to make any big statement. "Yes, players like Tendulkar and Yuvraj are top class and very dangerous. They always try to put pressures on the opposition," he said. "However, I don't mean that in their absence our team has a better chance. The Indian team, even without them, is quite strong. There are two other teams (Pakistan and Bangladesh) in the tournament and it will not be a cake-walk for any team in this competition. It will be a tough tournament."
Tendulkar has opted to take rest to spend time with his children. Sangakkara agreed that family is a priority.
"Family comes first and it is important to spend time with the family."
(This writer is a freelancer)