Ehtesham Hasan, TNN Jul 10, 2013, 12.05AM IST
(In an exclusive interview…)
MUMBAI: Yuvraj Singh may never have donned the boxing gloves, but he has always exhibited inherent qualities of a hardened pugilist. Even though fate has landed body blows on him one after the other, the Punjab southpaw has always stood up to look adversity into the eye, even when many thought his career was over.
The 31-year-old, who played significant roles in India's World T20 win in 2007 and the World Cup in 2011, finds himself in an all-too familiar situation after struggling for form, fitness and runs. But that is only acting as a spur for Yuvraj.
In an exclusive interview with TOI, he declared that the 2015 World Cup was his goal and that he hoped to be back for the ODI series in October against Australia.
"2015 is very much a goal, and the target. I am really determined to make it happen," said Yuvraj in an e-mail correspondence. "After recovering from cancer I started well. But then I had issues with my form and back during the IPL. I have seen many ups and downs to deal with this. Hopefully, the coming season will turn things around. I am giving my best. That is what I can do. Rest is destiny," he explained.
During his early days, Yuvraj had to compete with legends to find a place in the eleven; now, it's the youngsters who are keeping him out. The irony is not lost on him. "I've played international cricket for 13 years. There's not a single day when you don't have pressure on you. That's how it is supposed to be. This kind of competition shows the depth in Indian cricket and it's a great sign," he said. Yuvraj sounded agitated when asked if he should have played a full domestic season before returning to international cricket.
"I think people are so focused on international cricket that they hardly follow domestic cricket. Whenever I was available, and not playing international cricket, I played for Punjab and North Zone. I did reasonably well to make a comeback into the Indian side. Just before the IPL, I developed back spasms and that troubled me through the entire tournament. But that injury is now healed completely and I am looking forward to the new season."
The coming season will definitely set the tone for the future. Yuvraj realizes that and is currently in Brive-la-Gaillarde, Southern France, training with renowned trainer Tim Exeter, who is known to have worked with the likes of Ryan Giggs and some of the top rugby players in the world. Leaving stardom behind, the duo is staying as paying guest with a local family.
The 42-day course has virtually cut off the fun-loving cricketer from the world, who along with fellow India teammate Zaheer Khan, has gone into tapasya mode to enhance their endurance levels.
"My immediate goal is to acquire prime fitness. This long lay-off has given me enough time to assess my fitness and game and work on the areas I need to improve. Currently Zaheer and I are working with Exeter. He has created a world-class setup for individual training and it has worked very well for me so far. It's a beautiful, isolated place. Natural surroundings inspire you to work hard and keep you fresh."
Giving details about his training regimen, Yuvraj said the training involved, among other things, roving and beach running. "This training schedule of 4-5 hours every day is extremely exhausting and leaves you drained. But with each passing day I am feeling fitter and stronger," he said. Once he's done with the fitness camp, Yuvraj intends to start playing domestic cricket to stake his claim in the ODI squad.
"I'm eyeing local tournaments and domestic cricket in September and want to make a comeback in October against Australia. If that doesn't happen, I will prepare for the next Ranji season. I am sure with some good knocks and quality time in the middle, things will fall in place. I want to take it one step at a time. I am confident about the outcome," he said.
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