Kolkata: His fight against cancer might have kept him away from cricket for close to 10 months, but it was a vintage Yuvraj Singh who was on display in his comeback match against New Zealand, former India captain Sourav Ganguly said.
“Despite lack of match practice, there were glimpses of vintage Yuvraj in the match. He looked fit and his performance will only improve with time. It was a very satisfying knock… It is incredible to say the least,” Ganguly told reporters here on Thursday.
Yuvraj struck a quick-fire 34 only to see India lose by one run against the Kiwis in the second T20 match in Chennai on Tuesday.
He said the comeback for the 2011 ODI World Cup hero was ideal and fans will look forward to see the stylish left-hander shine on the biggest stage for the World Twenty20 beginning in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
“He would spend only 3-4 hours on the field in the T20 format. The mental and the physical exertion will be less when compared to the longer formats of the game. So it would be ideal for him,” the former Indian skipper added.
“He is a proven performer and expectations have always been high from him. Not only the fans but the team will also expect consistent performance from him. He has played for a long time to be bothered by the burden of expectations,” Ganguly said.
Yuvraj ranked 15th in T20s
Thursday brought further confirmation for Yuvraj’s good form when he was included in the top 20 of the ICC’s T20 rankings.
Suresh Raina also got a major confidence boost ahead of the tournament, emerging as the highest-placed Indian batsman at number three.
Apart from Raina, no other Indian featured in the top 10 chart for batsmen, which is headed by New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, followed by big-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle.
Recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, Yuvraj re-entered the list in 15th spot.
There was no Indian in the top 20 bowling chart as well; the list is headed by Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and followed by England’s Graeme Swann and Johan Botha of South Africa.
Among all-rounders, Australia’s Shane Watson held the number-one rank with his highest-ever rating of 475, achieved in the series against Pakistan.
Meanwhile, T20 World Cup defending champions England head into the World T20 as the number-one ranked team on the ICC T20 Championship table.
England levelled the three-match series against South Africa 1-1 with a win in the third and final match to reclaim the top spot.
South Africa trail England by just one rating point.
Pakistan’s 2-1 series win over Australia has ensured that they retain the pre-series position of sixth, while George Bailey’s team continued to be ninth in the rankings.
India have slipped to seventh from fourth position after the loss to New Zealand in the only game possible in the T20 two-match series, while Ross Taylor’s side is ranked fifth. (PTI)