NEW DELHI: Out of favour Yuvraj Singh, hero of the 2011 cricket World Cup, said on Friday he was not thinking too much about the 2015 World Cup and was doing everything possible to regain his place in the Indian team.
Yuvraj said he was happy with the way the young Indian team had fared, winning the Champions Trophy and the ODI series in Zimbabwe, but felt it is the mix of young and experience that makes a team great.
“I am very happy with the way the youngsters have been performing. But it is the balance of seniors and youngsters that makes a team strong. For me, the most important thing is to play for the country and I will do every thing possible to play for the country again,” said Yuvraj during a media interaction here.
The southpaw said he wants to play in the 2015 World Cup but at the time being he was not looking at it since it is too far. His immediate goal remains to get back in the team.
“The 2015 World Cup is very far. We still have an year and half for the World Cup, it remains a part of my goal and I want to take it happen. But my immediate goal is to play for India as soon as possible. For that I have to play as much cricket as I can before the Challengers,” he said
Yuvraj last played a Test for India in December 2012 and an ODI in January.
Asked if he hopes to be back before the ODI series against Australia, Yuvraj said: “My focus is on performing better. If I am performing well and looking sharp on the field, I will. I have no doubts on by abilities.”
Yuvraj, along with Zaheer Khan, had spent six weeks training in France to get back in shape. Yuvraj feels that training away from India and away from the constant media scrutiny helped him.
Yuvraj and Zaheer underwent intense fitness training at Brive La Gaillarde, a market town south of the centre of France. They trained under coach Tim Exeter, a high performance physical trainer well known in Europe’s rugby and soccer fields.
“After recovering from cancer, I trained at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a while. But I wanted to train away from India because there are a lot of distractions here. Just staying away from you (media) was of great help,” said Yuvraj.
Asked about his recent picture with Arjun Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh the young cricketer reminds him of his younger days.
“Some time back (Sachin) Tendulkar told me that he (Arjun) bats like me. When I watched him, he reminded me of my younger days in Chandigarh. Arjun is passionate about the game and that comes from his father (Sachin),” said Yuvraj.
