'Reverse sweep was the only option'

Chennai: In his 10th year of top-flight cricket, Yuvraj Singh has finally exorcised a ghost.

While finding his way through the early part of his career, Yuvraj's battles with spin and especially Muttiah Muralidaran presented an interesting sight. But on Sunday night, he well and truly put an end to all those nightmares.

Yuvraj's heroics, especially against Muttiah Muralidaran in the Super Over, showed that he had finally overcome a big hurdle in his evolution as a player. Yuvraj played an uncharacteristic reverse sweep off Murali to seal the first win for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2010.

“We needed this win badly. We had lost three games. We put on a good performance today. The boys stood up very well. Irfan bowled very well. The new guy [Juan] Theron also bowled well,” Yuvraj told iplt20.com in an exclusive interview.

Yuvraj played a part in both the regular game and the Super Over, thereby scripting a turnaround for his side in the tournament. Yuvraj's partnership with Mohammed Kaif came at a crucial stage, even if it was at a slow pace.

“It was a slow wicket. We thought 150-145 was a good total. We were pretty happy with the way we defended 135,'' Yuvraj opined.

The match spilled over into the Super Over after a tight couple of overs by KXIP bowlers Irfan Pathan and Juan Theron. Kings XI Punjab were batting second and needed 10 runs to win this exhilarating clash. Chennai Super Kings had the crafty Muttiah Muralidaran bowling the crucial over. Yuvraj got the strike after Mahela Jayawardene got out going for a big expansive shot. Needing four off four, Yuvraj played a dot ball. The pressure increased manifold and everybody’s sweat glands were working overtime. The equation now was four runs off three balls.

Did he feel the pressure? “No. We needed four off three balls. The only problem was that if we lost a wicket, we would have lost the game. So I had to take a risk.''

And then came the shot which sealed the fate of the match. Yuvraj played a reverse sweep off Murali to settle a few scores for good.

"I knew Murali was going to bowl quicker. That (short third-man) was the only area which was open. So I thought maybe if I played the reverse sweep it could work. I don't play reverse sweeps well, but that was the only option. (Thankfully) It worked,'' recalled Yuvraj.

The excitement spilled over and the entire Kings XI Punjab squad ran onto the field. No wonder at the end of it all, Yuvraj signed off saying, “I am feeling good now.”