'I really want to play Tests': Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh is keen about his cricket. From the time he was a young pretender hoping to make it to the Indian team to the current phase when he is one of the key members of the one-day side, he has come a long way. Whether he can go any further and fulfill his ambition of playing Test cricket depends on many factors outside his control. There is hardly any place in the crowded Indian middle order and he does not quite fit the bill as an opener.

With a tour to Australia in the offing, the papers have been filled with speculation about opening batsmen. Yuvraj too has put his hand up, joining this fast-growing queue. "If I have to open to play Test cricket then I'm fine with it. It's better than sitting out and doing nothing. If the only way I can get a break is opening the innings, I'll take it," he says. Hemang Badani, another cricketer on the fringes of Test selection, opened the batting in his first Test, in Zimbabwe in 2001. It did not go well, putting his career path off track.

Yuvraj senses that this is a crucial point in his career, but at the moment his keenness is getting the better of his discretion. His chances of making the Test side are not exactly spectacular, though. For the best part of the year he is away playing one-day cricket and has little chance to impress the selectors by scoring runs in domestic cricket. "I guess you have to be a bit more patient. You have to take your time to get settled. I've done well in the longer version of the game in domestic cricket and that gives me confidence. I'm really keen to play Test cricket and back myself to get runs if I'm given an opportunity. Even though I don't get to play a lot of domestic cricket I must make the most of the chances I get."

He did not do much with the chance he got in the Irani Trophy, though. After an impressive start in the first innings he was undone by Ramesh Powar for 26. "The wicket was alright and I was batting well. I think Ramesh bowled a good spell. I have no regrets, I was batting well. I felt good about the way I was batting but I got a good ball and you have to give credit to the bowler," he said of his first-innings performance. The second innings though was a different story altogether. Coming out to bat after VVS Laxman and Dravid had given a masterclass in batting, Yuvraj played a wild heave, skying a catch to point.

If you saw him bat, you would not say that patience is one of his strengths. He begs to disagree. "At times I can be patient, but mostly I play one-day games. I come late in the order, so I have to go after the bowling right away." Though he has not played Test cricket, he has already begun thinking about the changes he needs to make to his game. "I speak to everyone about playing Test cricket. I really want to play now and I've spoken to Rahul about batting in Tests. I think he's one of the best Test batsmen around - he's very good with his technique and has a lot of patience - so there's a lot to learn from him."

The fact remains, though, that it will be incredibly hard for Yuvraj to break into the Test side. Yuvraj is the first to admit that he is not in the same class as Laxman. There is a long way to go, but clearly Yuvraj is dissatisfied playing only one-day cricket. That is the first step in the long journey to securing a Test berth. "I don't think too many people brand me as a one-day cricketer only. They appreciate what I've done in the past. But I keep telling myself that I'm only a one-day cricketer. The fact that I'm just a one-day cricketer bothers me and I'm going to do what I have to, to change that. I know it won't be easy, but I really want to play Tests for India."