It was a great feeling to beat the big Aussies: Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh © CricInfo

Having been written off even before the match began, the Indians dominated the game right from the start and stopped the Australians from progressing further. The day certainly belonged to the Indians who outplayed the Aussies in all part of the department. The architect of this victory were the two Singh's - Yuvraj and Robin. And fitting, the former is all set to become a worthy successor of the latter.

This is the second time that the Australians have been knocked out of the ICC Tournament by the Indians. They lost to India in the last edition of the trophy at Dhaka, thanks to Sachin Tendulkar's brilliant knock then.

So naturally the reactions to this famous Indian victory over the World Champions Australia in the quarter-finals at the ICC KnockOut tournament at Nairobi comes as a surprise from all quarters especially after the events that unfolded in the last few months.

A jubilant Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who had maintained that the Indians could spring a surprise against the Aussies said the side played positively and added that the youngsters were instrumental for the victory. "We lost the toss but we decided to play positively. The fielding was outstanding." The win will boost Indian cricket." He added that "We need youngsters like them. Both Yuvraj and Zaheer were impressive. It's good they performed well in a big match."

He added "As I said earlier, the Aussies were under greater pressure than us. The total of 265 was a good one, and it was a good toss to lose in the end. We have put in a lot of hard work recently to improve our fielding. We took some outstanding catches, and hit the stumps when it mattered the most. Yes, it was extremely satisfying performance."

Ganguly continued that "Sachin and I went after our shots, and Yuvraj then took over," and added Indian cricket needed youngsters, but "not any youngster. We need capable youngsters like Yuvraj and Zaheer Khan." Finally, Ganguly said it does not matter who they play next in the semi-finals. "We are here to play positively and win. We don't give the opposition much thought."

Yuvraj Singh, who was named man of the match for his belligerent 84 at the post match conference said "it was a great feeling to beat the big Aussies. I was nervous in the beginning. But, after a few overs, I batted normally and was satisfied with the performance." Yuvraj in the process broke 26 year-old record held by Brijesh Patel for individual score for a batsman in his first innings. Patel who held the record made 82 against England at Lord's in 1974.

When asked by commentator David Hookes during the man-of-the-match ceremony to comment on Micheal Bevan's runout, Yuvraj said "Oh, yes, that was good. The running-out of Michael Bevan was the turning point of the match." Asked what he had for breakfast, the southpaw from Punjab said "vegetarian -- all kinds of salad." in the lighter vein. Fellow commentator Ian Chappell said Yuvraj kept coming up with ideas even in crucial moments.

The Australian captain Steve Waugh was all praise for the 19-year-old youngster from Punjab. Waugh said "India have good youngsters. I never thought that they would be so aggressive. We tried our best to play on Yuvraj Singh's nerves, but he cared little." He added "Yuvraj played a really good knock. The way he timed the ball was special. He was composed throughout the innings, and some of the shots were out of the world. Yeah, a really good player." Waugh also had a word on left-hand paceman from Baroda, Zaheer Khan. The Australian captain said "He out thought me. He was very impressive and quick."

Looking back at the game, Waugh said his side messed up on what looked like a good batting track. "We were just ordinary. We didn't stick to the plan, our fielding was sloppy and things just went haywire." On the Indian teams performance, Waugh said, "The Indians completely outplayed us. We just didn't switch on, and they were a better side today, and much more desperate." On the new look Indian side, Waugh said "There are a few new faces in the Indian team, the side looks a lot more enthusiastic, and that's the best thing that could have happened to them."

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCI) president AC Muthiah said he was happy and pleased with the side's victory over Australia. Muthiah said "I am delighted by the great victory against Australia. I am more happy about the performance of our team despite the close finish." He also congratulated captain Ganguly, the players and the coach Anshuman Gaekwad and the selectors for providing `such a well-knit'team.