07 May,2015 07:28 AM IST | | Harit N Joshi
Yuvraj Singh confident of silencing his detractors with the bat after 44-ball 57 against Mumbai Indians
Delhi Daredevils' Yuvraj Singh in full flight against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Tuesday
It raised quite a few eyebrows when Yuvraj Singh was bought by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 16 crore in the Indian Premier League-8 auction. Doubts over whether the flamboyant all-rounder was worth the money grew bigger when runs started drying up for Yuvraj.
Delhi Daredevils' Yuvraj Singh in full flight against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Tuesday. Pic/Atul Kamble
With just 203 runs off nine innings at an average of 22.55 for Delhi Daredevils in IPL-8 so far, critics had already started writing off the southpaw.
However, on Tuesday Yuvraj posted his second half-century and his highest score of IPL-8, scoring a 44-ball 57 albeit in a losing cause against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.
Talking to the media, Yuvraj hardly paid any heed to whether his latest knock finally shut up his critics. "My job is to play cricket and critics' job is to write.
I don't read what comes out. I don't have that much time in my life at the moment. I try and stick to my job and you guys stick to your job," said Yuvraj in the post-match conference after Delhi Daredevils failed to defend the 153-run target.
Yuvraj said he benefitted from getting more time to bat in the middle. "T20 is a small format and is tough for batsmen batting at 4-5. You have to go and start hitting from the first ball.
Today, I got some time as we lost some wickets and I could bat till the end," said the 2011 World Cup Player of the Tournament.
He, however, rued the fact that his knock went in vain. "Good for me, good for the team but the important thing is to win. If you don't get two points it's a waste," he said.
22.55
Yuvraj Singh's average in the ongoing IPL. The southpaw has scored 203 in 10 matches