As he took off his helmet, tucked his bat under his arm and trudged back to the pavilion after a 19-ball struggle in the World Twenty20 on Sunday, Yuvraj Singh looked a shadow of the talismanic all-rounder who delivered two World Cups for India.
The dashing southpaw hitting England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over remains the defining moment of India’s victory in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007.
His player-of-the-tournament performance helped India win the 50-over World Cup in Mumbai four years later, and he showed his battling qualities off the pitch too by overcoming a cancerous lung condition.
But it has not all been plain sailing.
Yuvraj, who has been dumped from India’s one-day side, managed just one run and conceded 13 off his only over in India’s opening World Twenty20 match against Pakistan.
And it was another forgettable outing on Sunday against defending champions West Indies.
He dropped explosive opener Chris Gayle in the deep and was not even required to bowl his left-arm spin, a weapon which proved crucial in India’s 50-over World Cup victory in 2011.
When he came in to bat, Yuvraj struggled to middle the ball and was dismissed after a laboured 10. Needing five runs from two overs with eight wickets in hand, India eventually won with two balls to spare.
Fortunately for Yuvraj, India won both matches with ease and captain MS Dhoni is willing to be patient with him.
“Yuvraj is perhaps the best player in Twenty20. You can say he’s not in his rhythm but it’s always tough after you’ve been dropped from ODI side and return in Twenty20,” Dhoni said after the victory against defending champions West Indies.
“There is invariably some pressure on an individual returning to the side. It takes a couple of games at least.
“We are only hoping that he gets a good match. We all know the kind of match winner he is. He can really turn the game around on his own.”
Dhoni conceded he had to make a choice between improving the net run rate and giving Yuvraj some batting time but felt he made the right decision in the end.
“I’m glad that he got a bit of time (in the middle) because it will only settle his nerves and we all know how dangerous he can be,” Dhoni said.
“Once he gets going, he’ll give many more victories. If Yuvi comes back and bats really well, it would be a good asset to have at number four.”
In spinner Amit Mishra, Dhoni has already seen how a captain’s backing can change a player.
The chubby 31-year-old legspinner from Delhi has transformed from bench warmer to match winner with back-to-back man-of-the-match performances on Mirpur’s spin-friendly tracks.
Mishra has credited his captain for showing faith in him, but Dhoni said he only told the spinner to express himself freely in the middle.
“It’s important that people bowl or bat according to their strength,” Dhoni said. “I personally felt he was feeling a bit of nerve in the first game against Pakistan.
“I just went up and told him: ‘You are known for turning the ball, you’re someone who flights the ball, varies the pace. You’ve variations. So just don’t keep bowling the straighter one or try to bowl just back of a length so that batsmen can’t hit’.
“I told him: ‘Your bigger strength will be to flight the ball and use that extra bit of bite in deceiving the batsmen’. I was really comfortable with the way he bowled after that.
“After the first game, I knew he was still not bowling at his 100 percent, he still had nerves to overcome. I knew with that man-of-the-match performance, his performance in the coming games will get better and better.
“There will be odd games where, like other bowlers, he would also get hit but it’s important that he backs his strength and his strength will always be using the flight and using the variations that he has got,” added Dhoni.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
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%3Cp%3E%0DIf%20Catherine%20Richards%20debuts%20for%20Wales%20in%20the%20Six%20Nations%2C%20she%20will%20be%20the%20latest%20to%20have%20made%20it%20from%20the%20UAE%20to%20the%20top%20tier%20of%20the%20international%20game%20in%20the%20oval%20ball%20codes.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESeren%20Gough-Walters%20(Wales%20rugby%20league)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Dubai%2C%20raised%20in%20Sharjah%2C%20and%20once%20an%20immigration%20officer%20at%20the%20British%20Embassy%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20she%20debuted%20for%20Wales%20in%20rugby%20league%20in%202021.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%20sevens)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EWith%20an%20Emirati%20father%20and%20English%20mother%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20at%20school%20in%20Dubai%2C%20and%20went%20on%20to%20represent%20England%20on%20the%20sevens%20circuit.%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFiona%20Reidy%20(Ireland)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMade%20her%20Test%20rugby%20bow%20for%20Ireland%20against%20England%20in%202015%2C%20having%20played%20for%20four%20years%20in%20the%20capital%20with%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20previously.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The five pillars of Islam
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
