Kirsten opens up on Yuvraj’s near-omission from 2011 WC squad

Former India head coach Gary Kirsten has revealed that star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh wasn’t an automatic pick in India’s squad for the ODI World Cup 2011, and it was at his and then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s insistence that the selectors included him in the team and the decision eventually paid off.

India went on to win the World Cup, ending a 28-year title drought. The final, played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, saw India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets. It was a proud moment for the nation, and Yuvraj played a central role in scripting that success.

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Yuvraj was named Player of the Tournament for his stellar all-round performance, scoring 362 runs and taking 15 wickets. Behind those numbers, however, was a story of resilience as the veteran left-hander was diagnosed with cancer, soon after the tournament.

One of his standout performances came against the West Indies in Chennai, where he scored 113 off 123 balls. He also played vital knocks against England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Australia.

In the quarterfinal against Australia in Ahmedabad, Yuvraj’s unbeaten 57 helped India knock out the defending champions. With the ball, Yuvraj’s left-arm spin earned him a fifer against Ireland besides claiming two wickets each in all three knockout games.

“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,” Kirsten was quoted as saying by Rediff.

“I was always very fond of Yuvraj. We had this kind of great relationship where 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 amazing to watch,” he added.

The former South Africa opener also credited mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton for playing a key role in helping Yuvraj prepare for the tournament-both physically and mentally.

“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 head coach said.