Then he sounded a ‘warning’ to his colleagues. “Normally, it would be me chasing others to put cake on their faces. I think they had their revenge today. I am finding out who put more cake on my face, and the culprits will have their fill soon,” he said.
His team-mates’ eagerness to apply cake on his face was perfectly understandable. But it has much more to do with the fact that Saturday marked Yuvraj’s 28th birthday.
The left-hander celebrated the day in grand style, steering India to a series-leveling six-wicket win over Sri Lanka with an outstanding all-round show.
He scored an unbeaten 60 off a mere 25 balls and took three wickets to make the day an exceptional one.
“I don’t think I had a better birthday. I am very happy that I have performed today, taking India to victory,” Yuvraj, said.
Though grown up playing in Mohali, Yuvraj was not able to make any great impact on previous occasions here. The left-hander said he was happy to turn things around on the night. “Mohali is my home ground, but I have not made many runs here. So I am happy to score some runs and take a few wickets to guide my country to victory,” he said.
After reaching his fifty, Yuvraj gesticulated very animatedly towards dressing room. “It was for coach Gary Kirsten, who is a father figure to all of us. I was striking the ball well at nets, but could not make runs in the middle, leaving me a lot frustrated.
“He told me to keep my cool, and that runs will come. His words became a reality today, so I thought of him at that moment. He is the best coach I have played under,” he explained.
Yuvraj also rated Virender Sehwag’s blistering fifty as a perfect launching pad for the chase.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara rued the dropped catches and run-out chances, and hoped that they can turn the tide in the one-day series, beginning in Rajkot on Tuesday.
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