The Future Is Bright - The Future Is Yuvraj !!

The title line which was kind of making waves early in the twenty-first century when Yuvraj made that stunning debut at Nairobi can now, I guess be safely transformed to reflect the present. Yuvraj Singh has finally arrived in full flow and World Cricket is better for it. For Yuvraj brings to the game an incredible amount of value, just by his breathtaking strokeplay.

I would unhesitatingly state that Yuvraj is the most gifted striker India has ever produced since Sachin Tendulkar (with the possible exception of VVS Laxman, that too only for certain strokes). Here Dileep Premachandran pays tribute to Yuvraj's fantastic innings today and also pats the selectors on the back for keeping the faith in this mercurial yet phenomenal player.

But while Agarkar's innings spoke of the great depth of India's batting, he had to cede the day's honours to a man who came to the crease with everything to prove. His first-innings failure - few had bothered to note just how good a delivery Murali had produced to snaffle him - had reopened the debates about Yuvraj Singh belonging at this level and, shamefully, there were quite a few people willing him to fail here just so that their warped designs for Indian cricket could be carried on.

"In the event, the management and selectors that reposed faith in one of India's brightest young talents are fully entitled to pat themselves on the back, and show contempt for those who doubt the efficacy of a long-term vision that is already delivering spectacular results. Where his 77 at Delhi had been a dour effort tailored to the needs of that particular hour, Yuvraj's 75 today showcased everything that is special about his batting.

The drives crunched through the covers were glorious, but it was the manner in which he swept a doosra from Murali to the midwicket fence that was most telling. Against the sharp-turning ball, he is still far from the finished product, but the fusillade of magnificent shots that flowed from his bat this afternoon were ample proof of why he should be in the team. At his best, his outrageous talent makes him a matchwinner, and you just don't keep men like that out of a side. If Yuvraj carries on in this vein and does what Michael Hussey has done to revitalise the Australian batting, Indian cricket will be well served."