Chika Talk
Kris Srikkanth
Aggression worked for out-of-form Yuvraj
February 21, 2008
Yuvraj Singh proved the old adage right that it is best to try and come out of a bad patch by hitting your way past it. Playing his natural game is what Yuvraj does best and he did that by plonking his front foot out to cream boundaries.
Even a champion batsman like Viv Richards used to resort to extraordinarily bold ways at the crease to come out of a poor run of scores. The same with Yuvraj who is a natural striker of the ball and a proven match winner. He has paid his captain back handsomely while not letting the pressure largely generated by the media get to him and affect his game.
The way the Punjab southpaw handled Muralitharan proved to be the turning point. Murali has always had this hold on Yuvraj and it was important for him to break free at the start of his innings. To make bowlers like Murali think, a batsman has to go on the offensive. Once the best bowler is bled for runs the opposing captain is left with fewer options.
It was heartening to be proved right on two counts.
After the innings against Australia there was a sense of Yuvraj coming back to form and the indications were even more valid against the Lankans in this needle clash.
The situation was no different from the game we played against West Indies (199192) at the MCG where it was a virtual semifinal. Sachin and I decided to take on the attack rather than allow things to drift. The two partnerships that Dhoni shared with Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan were on the same lines.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
Even a champion batsman like Viv Richards used to resort to extraordinarily bold ways at the crease to come out of a poor run of scores. The same with Yuvraj who is a natural striker of the ball and a proven match winner. He has paid his captain back handsomely while not letting the pressure largely generated by the media get to him and affect his game.
The way the Punjab southpaw handled Muralitharan proved to be the turning point. Murali has always had this hold on Yuvraj and it was important for him to break free at the start of his innings. To make bowlers like Murali think, a batsman has to go on the offensive. Once the best bowler is bled for runs the opposing captain is left with fewer options.
It was heartening to be proved right on two counts.
After the innings against Australia there was a sense of Yuvraj coming back to form and the indications were even more valid against the Lankans in this needle clash.
The situation was no different from the game we played against West Indies (199192) at the MCG where it was a virtual semifinal. Sachin and I decided to take on the attack rather than allow things to drift. The two partnerships that Dhoni shared with Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan were on the same lines.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
