Former India head coach Gary Kirsten has disclosed that Yuvraj Singh was not an automatic selection for the 2011 ODI World Cup squad. The South African legend said that he and captain MS Dhoni supported the inclusion of the seasoned all-rounder during a discussion over the 15 that should be selected.
MS Dhoni led India to end their 28-year-old drought to win the ICC trophy by claiming the 2011 ODI World Cup that happened in India. Sri Lanka lost the finals played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to the Men in Blue by six wickets. Pakistan is playing against Sri Lanka and batting first Sri Lanka had posted 274-6 the target which was chased by India after 48.2 overs. Yuvraj was the Player of the Tournament with a score of 362 runs and 15 wickets to his credit.
While Yuvraj is regarded as one of India’s greatest white-ball players, Kirsten has stated that his selection for the 2011 World Cup national squad was not a simple one. He recounted in a Rediff.com interview:
“Thank goodness we picked him because it was flipping close, he was. It was not a slam dunk selection. The selectors kind of debated around the 15 players. I was very keen to have him in the team as was Dhoni because of the experience that he brought to the group. And look at the World Cup he ended up having.”
Gary Kirsten
The 57-year-old also disclosed that Yuvraj Singh prepared for the 2011 World Cup by working with Paddy Upton, a coach for mental conditioning and strategic leadership. Sharing his insights on the former India all-rounder, Kirsten said:
“I was always very fond of Yuvraj. We had this kind of great relationship where like, he used to frustrate the hell out of me sometimes, but I just loved him. He was good. I just want him to be scoring runs all the time because when I watch him bat, it’s just like amazing to watch. But there was a journey he had to walk and credit to Paddy.
“Paddy did a lot of work with Yuvi to get him ready for that World Cup. Yuvi himself made some key decisions around getting himself prepared and ready for the World Cup,” the former India coach added.
During his remarkable career, Yuvraj played 304 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and amassed 8,701 runs at an average of 36.55, helped by 14 hundreds and 52 half-centuries.
Yuvraj Singh’s 2011 ODI World Cup performance
Yuvraj amassed 362 runs with a strike rate of 86.19 and an average of 90.50 in eight innings during the 2011 ODI World Cup, including 104 half-centuries. In Chennai, the southpaw defeated the West Indies with 113 off 123 balls. Additionally, he scored 51* against the Netherlands in Delhi, 50* against Ireland at the same location, and 58 against England in Bengaluru.
India eliminated the reigning champions from the event in the Ahmedabad quarterfinals because to a remarkable 57* off 65 from Yuvraj versus Australia. He averaged 25.13 with the ball, taking 15 wickets with his left-arm spin. He contributed two wickets each in all three knockout matches and took 5-31 in the group match against Ireland.
