Was expecting to captain India in World T20: Yuvraj Singh

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has revealed that he expected to become the captain of the national side during the World T20 in 2007. 

“I was expecting to captain India in the T20 World Cup and then it was announced MS Dhoni will be the captain,” Yuvraj said on the 22 Yarns podcast.

The left-handed player played a crucial role in India’s winning triumph in the tournament. Yuvraj’s heroics included six sixes in an over from Stuart Broad while he was up against England and a 30-ball 70 against Australia in the semi-final. 

India later on defeated Pakistan in the title clash to win the inaugural World T20 under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. A number of senior players including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly didn’t feature in the tournament. 

“So, basically, India had lost the 50-over World Cup, right? I mean there was quite a turmoil in Indian cricket and then there was a two-month tour of England and there was also a month-long tour in between with South Africa and Ireland. And then there was a month of the T20 World Cup so there were like four months away from home,” Yuvraj said. 

“So probably the seniors thought that they needed a break and obviously, nobody took the T20 World Cup seriously,” he added. 

The duo of Yuvraj and Dhoni also anchored India to a World Cup win in the ODI format after 28 years in 2011. The Men in Blue defeated Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai to clinch the title. 



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PSL 2021 | PSZ vs LHQ: Zalmi look to break losing streak against table toppers Qalandars

In their past three meetings, Peshawar Zalmi have been humbled by the Qlanadrs from Lahore. The first game this season for both the teams was against each other and Qalandars defeated the Zalmis thanks to a magnificent performance with the ball by Shaheen Afridi (3/14). Previously the Zalmi lost to the men from Lahore in the eliminator of the 2020 PSL and also in a league game of the same season. It has been more than 450 days since a victory for the team from Peshawar over the Qalandars. Now with the PSL moving to Abu Dhabi once again, the Zalmi, who have had a good run in the competition, compared to their opponents would look to make good use of the already used wicket in the doubleheader. In fact, Zalmi have lost only once to Qalandars in the UAE and it came way back in 2016. However the tables have turned, while Zalmi would be looking to set their feet in the Shiekh Zayed Stadium, Sohail Akhtar’s men are already on the charge thanks to their thrilling last-ball win against Islamabad United in the opening game of the Abu Dhabi leg of PSL 2021. With more than just two points at stake, there is no doubt that both teams, with a changed combination and lineup due to change in the schedule, would go all guns blazing in this 23.300 hrs IST clash. Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars: Match Details Match Number- 17 Date and Time: June 10, 23:30 pm IST, 06:00 pm GMT, 10:00 pm Local Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Broadcast/ Live Stream: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV Pitch Report As evident from the first game, the heat has really worked up the surfaces in the Gulf nation. As a result, the pitch is two-paced, as it has carry and bounce, but at the same time, the ball is gripping and getting stuck in the wicket if fingers are being rolled over the ball. It turned a bit as well in the first game, giving clear indications as to why spinners are important. Weather and Toss If you win the toss in PSL, there is no way anybody would choose anything other than fielding first. The formula worked in Karachi and it did in the first game in Abu Dhabi too. There would be no problem with the weather in Abu Dhabi as in the case of a 10 pm start, it would rather be perfect as the sand would have mostly cooled by then. Team News Peshawar Zalmi Their main bowler from the Karachi leg, Saqib Mahmood won’t be available in the Abu Dhabi leg and thus the onus to bowl well fall on the shoulders of the skipper Wahab Riaz. To get some support, he has West Indian veteran Fidel Edwards and homegrown talents like Umaid Asif and Imran Randhawa. The batting department would also miss Ravi Bopara and Tom Kohler Cadmore or TKC as he is known. To compensate for that, Zalmi brought in South Africa David Miller and West Indians Rovman Powell and Fabian Allen. The Afghan spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman has been replaced by his compatriot, Waqar Salamkheil. Thus with these many changes, it would be difficult for Daren Sammy and Riaz to pick a solid team. Probable XI Kamran Akmal(w), Imam-ul-Haq, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, David Miller, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen, Wahab Riaz(c), Amad Butt, Fidel Edwards,, Waqar Salamkheil Lahore Qalandars The only change that Qalandars could think of initiating is getting someone in place of Mohmmad Faizan, who looked out of sorts in the first game. But then he is a youngster and bound to make mistakes, thus getting him out of the XI just after one game wouldn’t be fair. Thus a no change team would be in the offering by Qalandars. Probable XI Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar(c), Muhammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk(w), Tim David, Rashid Khan, James Faulkner, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf Dream XI / Fantasy XI Predictions Sohail Akhtar, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, David Miller, Mohammad Hafeez (c), Ben Dunk(w), Rashid Khan (vc), James Faulkner, Wahab Riaz, Amad Butt, Shaheen Afridi

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