The renaissance of Yuvraj Singh

 
2010 was an unadulterated disaster for Yuvraj Singh. Injury, loss of form and gluttony led to him losing his place in the Indian Test side, a disastrous season with Kings XI Punjab and questions as to his place in the Indian World Cup squad.

Indeed 2010 wasn't just a bad year for Yuvraj; it was an annus horribilis.

Yuvraj's troubles didn't go unnoticed at The Reverse Sweep and we wrote a post accusing him of being over-rated, arrogant and with an ego the size of Jupiter.

Whilst we stand by with most of what we wrote - especially where Test cricket is concerned - let's give credit where credit is due, Yuvraj has been absolutely outstanding in this World Cup.

It's difficult to imagine a more pressurised situation than the one that confronted Yuvraj in yesterday's quarter-final with Australia. When Dhoni fell, India still required 74 runs off 75 balls with just five wickets left. With the last recognised batsman Raina joining him at the crease, the onus was on Yuvraj to lead India home. Defeat would have led to the usual recriminations and burning effigies.

But Yuvraj took it all in his stride. He cajoled Raina to produce the goods, led from the front himself and he used his arrogant demeanour to stunning effect.

As it stands, Yuvraj is arguably the player of the tournament of the World Cup thus far. He is the fourth highest run scorer with 341 runs at 113.66 with one hundred and four fifties from his six innings. And with the ball, Yuvraj has been India's outstanding bowler after Zaheer Khan with 11 wickets at 25 at an economy rate of just under five runs per over.

No one would have predicted that Yuvraj would be in the running for the player of the tournament, not even his biggest supporter - namely himself.

Where next?

Check out our Reverse Sweep XIs

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

The worst Test XI of 2010

Ricky Ponting's "up yours" message to Cricket Australia

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Comments

[AA]

Raina is good enough batsman to do the heavylifting, as shown in the semis v Pakistan. In this match also, he was more than an equal to Yuvraj. Pls don't include him in the "mediocre" as you have done elsewhere. Perhaps its best if this blogs sticks to familiar topics like county cricket. Amazing lack of insight!!

[The Reverse Sweep]

Raina has talent I grant you and did well against both Australia and Pakistan, but until he has conquered his weakness against short-pitched bowling the jury is still out in our opinion.

[AA]

I'm willing to leave the talent calling abilities to one side. Who knows you could to be an expert here. But what use is "technique" (as understood and defined by you), if there is no reference to performances??

The point of my post is rather simple. It had NOTHING to do with short-pitched bowling. (Having said that ofcourse, Aussies tried the bang-it-short to Raina and Yuvraj, with their "fastest trio" of Tait, Lee and Johnstone. They leaked runs through pulls, drives, flicks and dabs!! When Lee pitched it up, Raina smacked him for 6. Commie said Raina FINALLY gets the ball in his half and he knows what to do with those).

My post says that Raina didn't need the good advice of Yuvraj Singh as Raina had done all that many times before. (For example, he played a major part in chasing down the highest target for India to win against the Aussies. Raina also guided a fresher and gave him confidence to come good!!)

And a guy who can decisively influence two absolutely crucial matches batting at #7 has to be exceptional.

[AA]

I posted on your blog, because Raina has even made a telling difference in tests!! Match-saving debut 100, and two substatial contibutions in the next match to level the series. Next up, was his 80+ in the first innings when Laxman was injured, making Raina-Tendulkar the last significant partnership, that too chasing 400+ first innings score. The match was won on the slimmest of margins!! (The best test of 2010). Next match, he had little opportunity to contribute, given the earlier 100s. The 30+ scored aggressively, after stablising things on fall of 2 quick wickets was creditworthy.
(I only say this because that is how you should measure the value of a player!!)

In contrast.

A comment from you after India-Pak semi: "Some crucial things went Indias way: Gul bowled like a drain, Sehwags electric start, Pakistan giving Sachin more lives than a cat and then the runs at the end after they had looked in trouble at 206/6."

Now why is this the wrong way of making an assessment?

1) Sehwag made mince-meat out of Pakistan's best pace bowler up to that point, ie. mentally disintegrated him; and Gul wasn't good enough player to deal with it. A know weakness well exploited by Sehwag.

2) Pakistan are renowned for poor catching (eg. NZ-Pak test series). Also helped by repeated fumbles (at the boundary) from a mentally-disintegrated Gul. A known weakness.

3) How did the "runs at the end after .. 206/6" come from? Didn't someone (who ever he is) have to bat really well given the stranglehold of spinners; and then, to take on the best bowlers in power-plays, score freely (at 10rpo), manage the loss of wickets, etc. It has to said Raina played a CRUCIAL knock - ie. better than "did well".

You say the jury is still out. The results are also out as far as performance and achievements are concerned. Raina has just won the WC and Sachin Tendulkar has achieved his lifetime goal thanks to a great team effort.

Summary: I'm not asking you to change your mind. I'm just amazed at the lack of insight into how cricket is played and appreciated. Good day.

[The Reverse Sweep]

You make a good case for Raina AA, and perhaps I should have mentioned him by name when referring to the late order runs in the semi-final against Pakistan. He produced the goods against Australia and Pakistan in pressure situations, which is a big tick in the box.

 

Im not saying that Raina isnt a talented batsman - he clearly is. But, for me the jury is still out until he scores runs in Tests on quicker and bouncier tracks in South Africa, England and Australia. If he does that, Ill willingly take my hat off and say well played, but if his struggles in the SA series last winter are anything to go by, this is a weakness in his technique that still needs to be corrected. Of course, he may well do that in England this summer. We shall see.

[Riya Sen Photos]

Suresh Raina is the talent to watch out for...

[sauna esofman]

Defeat would have led to the usual recriminations and burning effigies.

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