His father reckons it could
well be Sachin Tendulkar.
The Indian southpaw collected
his fourth man-of-the-match award in the World Cup after scripting India's quarterfinal
victory against four-time champions Australia on Thursday.
In the post-match press
conference, Yuvraj said he was playing the tournament for a "special
person,” whose identity he would only reveal if India reached next Saturday's
final.
The speculation has not
stopped since and his father Yograj, a former India player, hinted it could be
Tendulkar.
"I would not be
surprised if he meant Sachin," Yograj said by phone from Chandigargh on
Sunday as India counted down the hours for the highly anticipated semifinal
against Pakistan on Wednesday.
"Sachin has been a huge
influence in his life over the last 11 years or so. He has always been there
when Yuvraj was going through a difficult phase in his career.
"Sachin is not just a
great cricketer but also a great human being. He has been Yuvraj's guiding
angel. My son is very close to him and shares things he would not share with
anyone else."
Poor form and injuries
blighted the career of one of India's most exciting cricket talents but Yuvraj,
architect of India's 2007 Twenty20 World Cup victory, once again showed his impeccable
sense of occasion in the tournament.
Yograj said his son owes the
turnaround to Tendulkar.
"Sachin must have been
my son in previous life or some other close relation. He has been the best
thing to happen to Indian cricket and also to Yuvraj," said Yograj, a
former medium pacer who played his only test against New Zealand in 1981 at Wellington.
"He advised Yuvraj to
keep working hard and maintain focus.
There was lot of skepticism
in the air but only his mother and Sachin had an unflinching trust in my son.
"Frankly speaking, any
cricketer who has listened to Sachin has benefited.
"When he eventually
retires, the cricket board should appoint Sachin the mentor of the Indian
cricket team. He can turn any ordinary player into a phenomenal
cricketer."
