Ganguly all praise for Yuvraj

Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday showered praise on Yuvraj Singh following his unbeaten 98-run knock, which shaped India's 46-run victory over Sri Lanka in the triseries, and hailed the youngster as a "future prospect for India".

"I have got a lot of faith in him. He is a match-winner... The way he played today shows he is a future prospect for India," a beaming Ganguly said.

The India captain shot back at his detractors, who have been resenting his support and preference for the Punjab all-rounder, saying: "They should leave Yuvraj alone and let the youngster play his natural game."

Yuvraj, who was declared man-of-the-match, hit six fours and a six in his 110-ball knock to resurrect India, who at one stage were tottering at 38 for four.

Ganguly also commended Yuvraj's bowling in the series. "He has bowled well in the series and today he came good with the bat too," he said.

Reflecting on Wednesday's victory, he said, "A score of anything between 225-230 is not bad considering the conditions and the wicket. The first 15 overs are very important and our bowlers bowled well."

Ganguly said Thursday's match against New Zealand "is a big one for both of us".

"It's like a semi-final. We have won the last two matches and hope to continue the good form," he said.

India, who have four points from five matches, must win against New Zealand, who are equally placed, in order to secure a berth in the final against Sri Lanka, on August 5.

Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya squarely blamed the batsmen for the defeat. "We had a good start as we picked early wickets. We did well in restricting the Indians to a total of 227.

"The batsmen should have played with more responsibilty.. By the first 15 overs we had lost three wickets. It was not a big score and the wicket was also good....No excuses," said Jayasuriya.

The skipper said his boys would try and forget Wednesday's defeat and "come back to play a new game altogether in the final".

Mail Cricket Editor