EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2019 SPORT 17 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE India’s vital cogs in fine fettle 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj bids adieu He was the architect of two ICC titles over the last 12 years If the batting was all about dominance, the bowling arm was equally in sync Amol Karhadkar This game taught MUMBAI <> me how to fight, Yuvraj Singh, the player­of­ how to fall, to dust the­tournament in India’s off, to get up again triumphant 2011 World Cup and move forward. campaign, announced his It has been a lovely retirement from the game journey. here on Monday. Yuvraj has featured in 23 domestic sea­ sons and will be remem­ stead making himself availa­ bered as one of the most skil­ ble for selection. ful white­ball cricketers. “I was told that if you are The architect of India’s not able to pass the Yo­Yo REVIEW two ICC titles over the last 12 test, I would get a farewell years, Yuvraj hopes to conti­ game. I did not tell anyone in K.C. Vijaya Kumar nue plying his trade in fran­ the BCCI that I have to play London chise overseas leagues for the last match,” he said. India’s World Cup campaign the next few years. “If I was good enough, I has been a steady accumula­ “I want to play T20s. At would have retired on the tion of incremental steps. It this age I can manage to play ground. I don’t like to ask for commenced with a loss to some kind of fun cricket. It’s a game, I have never played New Zealand in a warm­up been too stressful just think­ the game with that mindset, fixture, then came the win ing about my international so I told them I don’t want a over Bangladesh in the se­ career, performing in big farewell game, if I don’t clear cond practice­game and tournaments like the IPL,” the Yo­Yo test, I will quietly when the championship Yuvraj said in an interaction head back home. I cleared started, Virat Kohli’s men with the media after an emo­ the test and then, rest is not were ready with their big­ tional retirement speech in my call.” boys act! Perfect day: Virat Kohli’s men had plenty to cheer about in the game against Australia. * REUTERS the presence of his family. South Africa was lorded “Now I would like to enjoy Note to youngsters Pillars of support: Yuvraj with the two women who matter the over at Southampton and the but Australia was out of the cence to strike big with cogs in fine fettle. myself. With BCCI’s permis­ Yuvraj signed off with a word most: wife Hazel, left, and mother Shabnam. * VIVEK BENDRE crucial Sunday clash against contest in the last 10 overs. nonchalance. But sport isn’t about the sion, I would like to go and of advice for youngsters. “I Australia at the Oval proved Before the World Cup sweat and success, it is also play (in overseas leagues). see a lot of younger guys get­ to be a one­way street once started, there were worries Icing on the cake about empathy and apprecia­ It’s been a very long and ting a lot of money in IPL. So­ India’s batting might was about Rohit Sharma and The icing on the cake was tion. Kohli can be a brash hard journey and I think I metime they are getting mo­ amply reflected through its Shikhar Dhawan as they had about how Rahul shaped up competitor, but he also re­ deserve that.” ney a bit too easily, without 352 for five. failed in the warm­ups. But, at the death. Following the vealed that he has a heart. Yuvraj admitted that hav­ really appreciating it,” he Still it remains a long road as Kohli pointed out, the fine efforts of Dhawan, Rohit, His act of requesting the In­ ing consulted his friends and said. and Kohli struck a cautionary openers are big­match Kohli, Pandya and M.S. Dho­ dian fans to stop booing mentors, he had decided “When you talk to them, note: “It’s too early to decide players. Once the smell of a ni, he walked to the crease in Steve Smith will be remem­ that the 2019 IPL, where he they don’t listen. Honestly, (the semifinalists). After tough contest reached their the 50th over and imme­ bered for long. played a limited role in 20 years ago, I also did not about six games we will be in nostrils, the two were back at diately struck a six. For a tra­ “Just because there are so Mumbai Indians’ road to vic­ listen. It’s a learning process, a better position to know their best. Rohit’s hundred ditional opener expected to many Indian fans here, I just tory, would be his last. they will learn themselves. It where we stand in the tour­ against South Africa and Dha­ display the classical virtue of didn’t want them to set a bad The southpaw revealed is important that they focus nament, where we stand in wan’s century at Australia’s patience, Rahul has been example. I told him sorry on that he declined the “fare­ on cricket and on playing for the table, but we couldn’t expense were solid building­ equally adept in hammering behalf of the crowd because I well game” offer last year, in­ India.” have asked for a better start blocks. the bowling, especially in the have seen that happen in a against two strong sides.” A few months back, there shorter formats. few earlier games, and in my Defeating a defending was ambiguity around who If the batting was all about opinion that’s not accepta­ champion and that too Aus­ would turn up at No. 4. K.L. dominance, the bowling arm ble,” said Kohli. tralia is never easy, but India Rahul did enough in the was equally in sync, and In­ stepped in with confidence game against South Africa to dia prospered. Jasprit Bum­ Rough time and had a perfect day. The reiterate that the slot is his. In rah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar Smith and David Warner runs were accumulated, stea­ the tussle involving Australia, have struck a fine tandem have had a rough time ever dily at the start and then with India had enough runs in its and Pandya, too, chipped in since they returned after a break­neck speed towards kitty and more overs to bat, as the third seamer. Spinners one­year ban following the the end. And when Aaron and hence the team­manage­ Yuzvendra Chahal and Kul­ ball­tampering crisis but they Finch’s men buckled down to ment employed Hardik Pan­ deep Yadav did reasonably deserve a shot at redemp­ the chase, the Indian attack dya as a floater and promot­ well and going ahead, India tion. Kohli has recognised proved restrictive. The 36­ ed him to No. 4. He didn’t will stride in with the know­ that need, and it is hearten­ run triumph may seem close disappoint and used his li­ ledge of having most of its ing. WI­SA match Each innings a quest for nirvana abandoned Arun pleased with his wards Special Correspondent dents in the ICC mixed media Bumrah and Bhuvi.” Vijay Lokapally AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE London MUMBAI SOUTHAMPTON zone on Sunday, Arun said: As for Mohammed Shami, India’s bowlers have deli­ “It’s a dream to have a bowler who is yet to play, the bow­ Flamboyance? “It was natu­ The South Africa­West In­ vered in the two games so far like him (Bumrah). He is one ling coach said: “You have to ral,” he would quip. Swag­ dies match was abandoned and behind­the­scenes guide of the best in the world, both wait for your chance and be ger? “Not put on.” after persistent heavy rain Bharat Arun is extremely at the beginning and at the ready to grab the His cricket, as Yuvraj on Monday. Both sides pleased with the progress of death. opportunities.” Singh wanted the world to earned a point each. his wards. After another “My job is to remind him Australia was always a step know, was his “life”. His Earlier, West Indies pa­ command performance that and Bhuvi about their plans behind in the chase and Arun cricket a magical combina­ ceman Sheldon Cottrell re­ laid the Aussies low at the and also about what they explained the bowling ap­ tion of flamboyance and life duced Faf du Plessis’ team Oval on Sunday, Arun lauded have done well in the past.” proach. “We had plans about lessons, adding to the lustre to 29 for two before rain his pace unit, especially Jas­ Arun stressed that open­ not giving the batsmen any that he brought to his stopped play. prit Bumrah and Bhuvnesh­ ing the attack with Bumrah width and also to take the batting. West Indies is fifth in the war Kumar, who shared six and Bhuvneshwar was an es­ pace off the ball and we exe­ “Take things as they table with three points af­ wickets. sential strategy. “It was al­ cuted them well. It was a con­ come,” he often told himself ter three matches, while Speaking to correspon­ ways our plan to open with scious plan to bowl short to whenever cricket seemed to South Africa is second from Warner and he wasn’t very be ebbing away from his life.