The Hindu : Sport : Nerves and shivers

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Sunday, Dec 09, 2007
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Nerves and shivers

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Bangalore: Yuvraj Singh spoke about ‘nerves’ and ‘shivers’. It was a bit strange coming from a man who perhaps scored the most defining innings — 169 — of his nascent Test career at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

“I was very nervous when I went out and I have never been a confident starter in Test cricket,” admitted Yuvraj in a press conference. “Test cricket gives me the shivers but I enjoyed the innings and I went out with positive thoughts,” the southpaw said.

“I felt settled when I hit my first boundary, after facing about 15 to 20 deliveries. The ball was doing a bit then and I decided to see out that spell. 169 is a lot of runs but I should have got a 200 and I am disappointed from a personal point of view but I am delighted that Sourav and I hauled the team out of a tough situation at 61 for four,” Yuvraj said.

“My first aim was a 50-run stand with Sourav. I enjoyed batting with Sourav because he is also a very attacking player. He has supported me a lot and it was good to have that stand with him and he also batted really well,” Yuvraj said.

He added that it is tough to break into a middle-order with ‘great players like Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman’. He also admitted that he had only himself to blame for failing to cement his place in the Test middle-order following an indifferent stint during the West Indies tour, last year.

While Yuvraj was getting back to Test cricket after a year’s gap, Pakistani seamer Yasir Arafat (three for 98) was making his Test debut and he scalped the prized wicket of Rahul Dravid as his first.

“Early on the pitch was supporting the fast bowlers. I wanted to bowl on and outside off and I got the wickets because of that. But I didn’t think I would get important wickets so early,” he said.

Tendulkar returns home

Sachin Tendulkar, recuperating from a knee injury that ruled him out of the third Test against Pakistan, returned home on Saturday. V.R.V. Singh, who did not find a place in the playing eleven, also left Bangalore on being released from the squad to play for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy super league against Baroda.

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