Yuvi special talent, so I backed him: Sourav
BIRMINGHAM: Yuvraj Singh was the cynosure of all eyes as India played Bangladesh at Edgbaston. Thursday marked Yuvraj Singh’s 300th ODI. Yuvraj became the fifth India cricketer and 19th in the world to play a 300 ODIs. He made his debut in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000 in Nairobi.
The 35-year-old was presented a memento by Sourav Ganguly, his first captain. Ganguly is part of the commentary team for the Champions Trophy. Yuvraj has scored 4,269 runs in 299 ODIs.
In a fitting gesture, India’s head coach Anil Kumble invited Ganguly to do the honours in a brief ceremony. Ganguly had played a big role in grooming Yuvraj. “I want to play for India as long as I am fit and enjoying the game. I have worked hard to return to the Indian team and I am in good space now,” Yuvraj said. “Yuvraj was always a special talent and that’s why I tried to back him,” said Ganguly. “He remains a match-winner and it’s really an achievement that he has played 300 ODIs...really happy for him,” the former skipper added.
Captain Virat Kohli said: “He is a match-winner for India and today is a special day. We will want a special innings from him,” he said.
Harbhajan Singh said in a video message: “Hello friends. Today, I am going to talk about someone very special, who is very close to my heart — my friend, my brother — Yuvraj Singh. It is a big achievement. Congratulations Yuvi for playing all these years and these many games! When we were young, we never thought that I would play 100 Tests and you 300 ODI matches. God has been really kind to us!”