MUMBAI, Aug 10: India named Yuvraj Singh in their squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka on Friday, marking the all-rounder’s return to international cricket following his cancer treatment.
The dashing southpaw underwent chemotherapy in the US before returning to India in April and was included in India’s preliminary 30-man squad for the Sept 18-Oct 7 tournament in Sri Lanka.
“We are very happy that Yuvraj Singh has been declared fit,” chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth told reporters.
Yuvraj was also named in the India’s squad for the home series against New Zealand with matches on Sept 8 (Visakhapatnam) and 11 (Chennai).
“He is a very crucial factor. If he gets going, he can win matches single-handedly. Don’t forget he was the Man of the Series in the 2007 World Twenty20 and the 2011 [50-over] World Cup,” Srikkanth said.
“He fought his way back and we really appreciate the kind of effort put in by Yuvraj Singh. He will be a great factor and it’s good to see him back in the team,” he added.
Yuvraj has earned 37 Test caps but his career really flourished in the shorter formats where his swashbuckling batting and nagging left-arm spin have made him an automatic choice in India’s 50-over and 20-over squads.
Yuvraj played a major role in putting the shortest form of the sport on the map when he blasted six sixes in one over off England’s Stuart Broad at the inaugural World Cup in South Africa in 2007.
Srikkanth also announced a 15-member squad, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for the two-Test series at home against New Zealand starting next month.
Hyderabad hosts the first Test from Aug 23, while the second Test starts on Aug 31 in Bangalore.
Squads: For New Zealand Tests: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina.
For World Twenty20: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, L. Balaji, Ashok Dinda, Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Manoj Tiwary.—Reuters
