Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who makes his debut against Glamorgan at Headingley on Wednesday, has revealed that it was Sachin Tendulkar who encouraged him to sign up with English county Yorkshire.
Speaking on arrival in the UK, he said, "When Yorkshire showed an interest in signing me I had a chat with Sachin Tendulkar and he told me that Yorkshire is a great club to play for and the people are friendly and would look after me well.
"This will be the first time I have played in Yorkshire but I have some experience of English conditions.
"I came over here in 1996 to play for a club side for a month or so and, of course, I was in the NatWest one-day series last summer.
"I have been practising but my last competitive cricket was in the one-day series with South Africa and Bangladesh just after the World Cup, when I made my first one-day century."
The 21-year-old from Punjab, who was taken to Headingley for batting practice soon after flying into Manchester airport on Tuesday, said he had also been in negotiations with Derbyshire earlier this year but the talks petered out because he was not sure at the time whether he wanted to play country cricket.
"Yes, I have set myself some targets for the rest of this season, but I am keeping them to myself for the moment. I am confident that I will adapt quickly to four-day cricket," he added.
"I have experience in the longer game and I would love to do well enough here to win a place in India's Test team.
"I have also spoken to Geoff Boycott a number of times and he has taught me a lot about how to approach my game. You cannot help learning from him.
"I am fully committed to Yorkshire and will do anything I can to help youngsters in the area. I will do anything the club wants me to do," he added.
Yorkshire coach Kevin Sharp said, "He has met the players and we have had a chat about where he would like to bat."
"He said that he would prefer No 3 but didn't want to take anyone else's spot. That suits us fine as it means a direct replacement for Anthony McGrath and means that we can leave Michael Lumb settled in his No 4 position.
"He is a likeable lad and has fitted in immediately, though Darren Gough is the only member of the squad he already knows. I am sure he will do well for us because he is tremendously keen as well as talented."
Yorkshire chief executive Colin Graves commented, "We don't want to exploit the situation but we will be utilising this signing to encourage the Asian community to get involved and we will be exploring every avenue."
