My form is not so great: Yuvraj

Cuttack, Oct. 22: Yuvraj Singh is leaving no stones unturned to regain his purple patch back and the elegant left-hander said the best way to achieve it is by keeping it straight and simple in the upcoming Challenger Trophy.

Yuvraj, ignored for the four Test series against Australia, had a string of poor performances in Sri Lanka earlier this year, where he averaged just above 14 from five matches.

However, he came back strongly with a vital 113-run innings in the second essay of the four-day practice match between the Board President’s XI and the touring Australian side in Hyderabad earlier this month. "My form is not so great. So I will try to keep it straight and simple. I am playing as many tournaments as possible at this level. I had a good knock at Hyderabad and I hope for a good outing here in the Challengers too," said Yuvraj who is here to lead the India Blue team at the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy.

The Punjab batsman was of the opinion that Challenger Trophy is always an elite domestic competition as it showcases the best of Indian cricketers aspiring to make it big in the international level.

"The Challengers mean a lot not only to me but to players like Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli) and (Manoj) Tiwary... It’s a challenge leading India Blue which is the second best Indian team.

— PTI

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Why are Indians always hauled up, asks Gavaskar

New Delhi, Oct. 22: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar accused match referees on Wednesday of singling out Asian players after Zaheer Khan was fined at the end of the second Test against Australia.

Khan was docked 80 per cent of his match fee by International Cricket Council referee Chris Broad on Tuesday for an outburst against outgoing batsman Matthew Hayden during the Mohali Test.

Gavaskar, who resigned as head of the ICC’s cricket committee earlier this year due to media commitments, said it was strange only Asian players were being hauled up by match referees.

"If he (Zaheer) swore at him, if he abused him, he obviously deserves to get punished," Gavaskar said.

"But let’s not mince words here. Every time, it is always an Indian or a sub-continent player who gets hauled up, never the Australians." Gavaskar said he was surprised no Australian player was summoned by the referee during the ill-tempered match which India won by 320 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. — AFP