India one-dayer captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed a relieved man after his deputy Yuvraj Singh returned to form with a hurricane 76, and said the left-hander's consistency is an important aspect in building the young team.
Yuvraj, who was going through a rough patch in the series Down Under, finally showed his prowess, blasting 76 off 70 deliveries and played a crucial role in India's close win against Sri Lanka by two wickets.
"Credit to Yuvraj for the way he batted today. He was remarkable and he dominated the innings. That's what the team looks up to from him. We wanted him to score runs and that's what he did in the important match," Dhoni said after the match.
"It is always exciting to see Yuvraj score. And as a team member we enjoy his batting. That's what we need to do as a team, enjoy each other's success."
Dhoni credited his bowlers for restricting Sri Lanka to 238 because at one point they were cruising along and threatened to pile up 250-plus score.
"They had the momentum and at one moment it looked as if they would score over 250. The bowlers did well to restrict them to 238."
Asked what exactly was going in his mind after India lost some quick wickets towards the end, which left the match equally poised, Dhoni said that he told his lower-order to see through the fiery Lasith Malinga.
"When Irfan was there, we are in with a chance but after he got out, we had a problem. I knew that Malinga is going to bowl yorkers. So I told Ishant, 'don't lift your bat, know matter whatever happens'. I can come back and score those remaining runs," the skipper said.
Dhoni, who completed the run-chase with a half-century that did not include a single boundary, said that he had to adapt according to the situation of the match.
"When you take those cheeky singles or doubles, it is very teasing to the fielders. It is more interesting than hitting boundaries. I needed to bat according to the situation and Yuvraj had done all the hitting, I had to stay in there and stay till the end," he said.
India's hero in the match, Yuvraj said he went out to the crease against the Lankans with a positive frame of mind and was eager to play his shots.
"I hit few balls from the middle of the bat and hit some favourite shots at the start which gave me confidence. I was ver positive today. In the last game I was playing well but the run rate was going up with wickets falling, so today I thought we need to maintain the scoring rate," he said.
Courtesy:Hindustan times
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