Former Australia captain Michael Clarke feels Yuvraj Singh has taken inspiration from his successful return to the Indian team which has motivated him to play like a youngster despite growing old as an individual.
“Yuvraj is taking a lot of confidence from his India comeback,” Clarke said while speaking with India Today.
Clarke, who is currently a part of the commentary team, also shared one of his observations. He states Yuvi must thank Indian skipper Virat Kohli for the boost in the morale.
“Yuvi and Virat have a very good relationship. Virat wants him in the ODI team and that’s why he was selected recently for India. He looks fit and healthy and has the hunger and the drive to be successful at the highest level, whether that’s for India or IPL,” he says.
Yuvraj Singh was the man behind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s successful star to the season after the defending champions thwarted the depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs in the opener. The left-hander, after coming to bat at No. 4, cracked a 27-ball 62 with the help of 7 fours and 3 sixes.
His knock combined with Moises Henriques’ sensible 37 balls 52 set the platform for Sunrisers to set a 200 plus total in front of the RCB side, who were without Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers on Wednesday.
The duo played in a spectacular fashion and shared 58-runs stand for the third wicket. Yuvraj took some time to soak in the atmosphere and got going by smashing debutant Aniket Choudhary for 18 runs in an over.
“It’s a great start from Sunrisers. This shows they will be a force again. Yuvraj stepped up and showed his experience and also showed that he is at the top of his game even though he is growing older. The way he played with Henriques was exceptional,” he told India Today.
Clarke, however, cautions that Yuvi must make sure he doesn’t get injured in the middle of the season. Yuvraj Singh has to miss a good chunk of matches last season due to an ankle injury and could take part only three weeks after the start of the 2016 edition.
“He showed what he can do with the bat. I am sure he can still bowl a few overs as well. As long as he can stay fit and hopefully not get injured often, he is still a very very good player.”