'India should look after Yuvraj'

All praise for Yuvraj Singh after his hurricane match-winning knock against Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match here, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s veteran spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said the left-hander still has it in him to be India’s match-winner in the ODI World Cup next year.

After an indifferent run so far, Yuvraj’s 29-ball 68, which was laced with nine sixes and a four, helped RCB notch up a 16-run triumph over Delhi here last night.

Muralitharan, who did his bit with the ball by picking up two wickets, was lavish in his praise for the all-rounder, who has been struggling for some time.

“He is a great limited overs player, but his confidence was low. After the World Twenty20, the whole country put a lot of pressure on him. I know the situation well as I played for 20 years at the highest level. I knew it was just a matter of helping him regain his confidence,” Muralitharan told IPL’s official website.

“I was sure once he did that, he would be a different player. And after the way he has performed in the last two games, it seems I was right. I honestly think Yuvi has still got it and India should look after him because I feel he will play a big role in the 2015 World Cup. He will be India’s match-winner there,” he said.

On how it feels to work with a coach who is younger than him, in Daniel Vettori, Muralitharan said it wasn’t the first time he was dealing with such an arrangement.

“A few times, actually when I played for a few teams in West Indies, there were many coaches younger than me, and some of the guys I played against at the international level are now coaches.”