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Two weeks after the ECB announced the US$5 million Champions League Twenty20 tournament, England are in danger of not being part of the event with the BCCI officially deciding on Sunday to bar players associated with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL).Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, told Cricinfo Pakistan had been asked to join the tournament after the Indian board found it would not be possible to invite English counties due to the ECB’s “policy of letting ICL players play in their leagues”. The IPL – a part of the Indian board – is the driving force behind the Champions League while the rules for the tournament are currently being framed by Cricket Australia.IS Bindra, a member of the IPL’s governing council, told Cricinfo that “as of now, three [participating] countries are confirmed – India, South Africa and Australia”. “Pakistan may be the fourth, but first we have to get a response from the ECB on the ICL issue,” Bindra said. “Teams from England can be considered, but only those who don’t have players associated with the ICL.”The BCCI is very clear that ICL players will not be featured in the tournament. If the ECB can’t guarantee that it will clear only teams without ICL players for the tournament, then we will look at the replacement.”The BCCI has barred all official links with players associated with the ICL, which was launched last year before the BCCI’s high-profile IPL, but there are currently around 25 players connected with the ICL playing for 15 of the 18 English counties.Bindra, who is also the ICC’s principal advisor, said the decision to ask the ECB to ensure teams without ICL links for the Champions League was taken at a meeting of the BCCI in New Delhi on Sunday. “We will get a final picture when the issue is discussed during the ICC’s annual conference in Dubai this month-end.”Other BCCI officials told Cricinfo they don’t expect the ECB to provide a “no-ICL guarantee” and suggested that English teams are virtually out of the tournament. The ECB allowed players associated with the ICL to play in their domestic circuit after it faced legal action from the league, which was backed by the country’s strong trade laws that protects the rights of individuals. “It’s just that the BCCI would like the ECB to be seen as taking a decision on this,” an official said.Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman and commissioner, had previously told Cricinfo that teams with players associated with ICL would not be invited for the tournament “under any circumstance”, even if these players are dropped just for the event.The Champions League was announced by England in a press release on June 7 which said that the ECB, Cricket Australia, the BCCI and Cricket South Africa had “reached an agreement for the staging of the inaugural Champions League this autumn”. However, Modi later said that the announcement was premature.The tournament, to be held in September-October, will involve the top two Twenty20 domestic teams from participating nations. Western Australia and Victoria from Australia, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from the Indian Premier League in India along with the Dolphins and Titans from the Pro20 in South Africa have already qualified.

It is not often that a man who has scored 195 in a Test match complains that he has got out, but Michael Vaughan was annoyed with himself after doing just that. He was 182 not out overnight, but added only 13 runs to that score on the second day before being caught behind off Zaheer Khan.Vaughan said: “I was disappointed to get out today because I was looking to go beyond 200. But it was decent ball. At least I didn’t get it when I was on nought.”Vaughan has enjoyed a very successful summer, joining an elite band of England players who have recorded four Test centuries in one season. He also just missed out on a double century at trent Bridge. He puts the success down to a change in attitude. “I am looking to be a lot more positive and Duncan Fletcher has been very helpful and taught me a few new tricks. I felt I could hit the ball all round the park yesterday.”Dominic Cork made a successful return to the Test side with the bat and now needs to contribute with the ball. “We have to stay consistent, get the ball in the right areas and try and take the edge," he said.Getting the ball in right areas consistently was what Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh did to become, amazingly, the first bowler in the series to take five wickets in anInnings. He believes there is still time for India to win this match, despite the England first innings total of 515.”We are pretty much back in the match, we just need to bat well tomorrow. It is now quite open, it’s only the second day and there is a lot of time left. We have batsmen in form and ideally I won’t have to bat. We have two spinners and the ball will turn more as time goes on.”

An unbeaten 41 from all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal complete a memorable comeback win against defending Ranji Trophy champions Railways at Siliguri on Saturday. Chasing 154 for victory after dismissing Railways for 129 in their second innings on the third day, Bengal reached the target with three wickets to spare. Debang Gandhi, who made 37, and opener Deep Dasgupta with 29 were the two other batsmen who played a part in setting up the win that earned Bengal two points.Rajasthan’s 159-run first innings lead proved vital in gaining them a four-wicket win on the final day of their elite group encounter against Hyderabad at Jaipur. Hyderabad, who began the day on 226-4, were eventually dismissed for 350 in their second essay; opener Daniel Manohar the top-scorer, making 101 before being run out. For Rajasthan, off-spinner Rahul Kanwat claimed 5-37.Kanwat (41) along with opener Gagan Khoda (51) and captain PK Krishnakumar (43*), then, ensured that their team reached the victory target of 192 with four wickets and a little over four overs to spare despite a four-wicket haul from opposing skipper Venkatapathy Raju. The hosts were rewarded with two points for their efforts.A monumental effort from opener Sandeep Sharma helped Himachal Pradesh gain a nerve-wracking draw against Delhi in another elite group four-dayer at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Sharma, who began the day on 25*, went on to make 170 off 354 balls with 24 fours and two sixes, before falling to the last ball of the day, as his side ended the final day at 336-8 in their second innings. Virender Sharma (48), who shared a crucial 90-run sixth wicket partnership with Sharma, also played a role in ensuring that Delhi only got one point from the match (for earning a 262-run first innings lead).At Guwahati, Punjab went on to complete a comeback win against Assam. The hosts, who began the day chasing 286 runs, wilted against the spin of Navdeep Singh (5-59) to be dismissed for 196 in 79 overs. The margin of defeat might have been much larger if it had not been to the spirited efforts of Kiran Powar (55) and Manoj Joglekar (49). Punjab walked away with two points for the win.At Chennai, meanwhile, Tamil Nadu earned a lucky draw against Uttar Pradesh. An umpiring error, which saw the match being called off twelve minutes before the scheduled close, denied the visiting Uttar Pradesh team an opportunity to end a frustrating 34-ball last-wicket stand between Laxmipathy Balaji (3*) and MR Shrinivas (14*). The duo’s hung on grimly to ensure that Tamil Nadu, who were set a target of 298, staved off defeat by ending on 194-9. Uttar Pradesh, however, did not have to leave empty-handed; they got one point for having earned a 44-run first innings lead.Mumbai, for their part, completed an innings and 72-run win over Andhra Pradesh at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday morning. With left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni claiming four wickets, the hosts dismissed Andhra, who resumed their second essay on 133-7, for just 184 to claim three points, including a bonus point, from the match. For the visitors, Hemal Vatekar waged a lone battle, ending on 75 not out. Mumbai now have seven points from three matches as against Andhra’s tally of just one.Kerala thrash Tripura at KochiThe plate group encounter between the two sides ended 14 minutes before lunch on the fourth day. Tripura, who after being asked to follow-on were 62-3 at the end of the third day, capitulated to 139 all out in their second essay as Kerala completed an innings and 148-run win. Opener R Deb Burman, who made 58, was the only batsman to put up any resistance against spinners KN Ananthapadmanabhan (leg-spin) and Suresh Kumar (left-arm spin), both of whom ended up with three wickets each. Kerala now have won all their three group matches and are on the verge of clinching a semi-final berth.At Nagpur, hosts Vidarbha emerged winners, thrashing Goa by 203 runs. The visitors, who began the final day at 10-1, chasing 369 for victory, were dismissed for a paltry 165. Spinners Pritam Gandhe (5-33) and Madhusudhan Acharya (3-65) were the wreckers-in-chief. Vidarbha, after gaining two points for the win, now have three points from as many matches while Goa have only one.The Haryana-Maharashtra match at Rohtak was one of the few drawn matches on the day. Maharashtra, who resumed their second innings at 124-2 declared after notching 262-4; Abhijit Kale completing his second century of the match, reaching 104 not out of 211 balls.Chasing 276 for an improbable win, Haryana settled for a draw, making 121-4 before stumps were drawn. Maharashtra secured one point for having gained a slender 13-run lead on the third day.

Like their away record in most countries, India’s pastperformances in England make for poor reading. They have won onlytwo of the 13 series played in England and lost the remaining,including the sole Test of 1932. Broken down into Tests, Indiahave won just three and lost 22 out of 41 matches.On past record, then, England would seem to have everything intheir favour as the 2002 series gets underway at Lord’s onThursday. At the game’s headquarters, India has a particularlyunenviable record, having lost nine and winning only one of 13Tests. In the vastly different wicket and weather conditions ofEngland, Indian teams have generally come a cropper. This hasbeen the case even though the record has improved marginallysince Ajit Wadekar’s team in 1971 proved that England could bebeaten.Why then is the mood generally upbeat in the Indian camp, despitethis woeful record? For starters, the near-miraculous triumph inthe NatWest final 10 days ago has raised the visitors’ confidencemore than a notch. Sure, that was one-day cricket and this is aTest series, but a victory boosts a side’s confidence, and themanner in which that triumph was achieved showed that this is nota side waiting for the opposition to run over them.Indeed, the players seem hungry and impatient for success. Led bya man who has proved time and again that he is a tough, nononsense captain, the side is an ideal blend of youth andexperience, with a formidable array of stroke-playing batsmen whocan put to the sword any attack. The bowling, by comparison, hassome holes, but these can be covered up by the strong batting andby outstanding fielding ­ a department in which India now possessome notable exponents.Also, on close scrutiny, it can be observed that despite the homeadvantage, England are a pretty modest side, and being beset withinjury problems has not helped their cause. The non-availabilityof Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick, Alex Tudor and MarcusTrescothick has meant that both the batting and bowling have beenconsiderably weakened. It is still not a poor side and is ratherwell served in both batting and bowling, and Nasser Hussain hasproved to be a worthy leader in the past. However this does seemto be the right time for a full-strength, confident Indian sideto strike. Certainly, it constitutes their best chance to win aseries outside the subcontinent for the first time since theydefeated England in 1986.But to be candid, India have problems of their own as well,despite the rosy-looking scenario. The thin bowling line-up isone such obvious deficiency. Playing in the second half of thesummer, India will have to go in with both Anil Kumble andHarbhajan Singh, which means there is place for only two of AjitAgarkar, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. Sourav Ganguly can beexpected to fill in the fifth bowler’s role more than adequatelyas he has already shown.

As far as the batting goes, there is no problem with the middleorder. On the contrary, it is a case of an embarrassment ofriches, what with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman,Ganguly and Virender Sehwag around, and the problem will be oneof whom to leave out. But there have been questions raised overthe top of the order. The first choice should be the conventionalone – Shiv Sunder Das and Wasim Jaffer. But given the former’slack of form both in the West Indies and on the tour thus far,there has been talk of opening with Sanjay Bangar, Sehwag or evenDravid.In my view, the tried and tested pair of Das and Jaffer should beentrusted with the job at Lord’s. Das has to be treated withpatience and understanding. He is technically sound and is onlylacking in confidence. He needs only one good score to boost hismorale. Bangar, for all his recent all-round form, is clearly nota Test-class opening bat. Sehwag’s aggression would be betterserved in the middle order, and blustering methods at the top arenot likely to succeed in English conditions. If anything, theexample of K Srikkanth in 1986 could be offered as a deterrent toany such move. The swashbuckling batsman could muster only 105runs from six innings at an average of 17.50 in the Tests, andeven on the tour he had a rather unhappy time, scoring just 344runs from 14 innings at an average of 24.57.

However, indications are that Sehwag will open with Jaffer in thefirst Test. Of course, the silver lining in playing Sehwag at thetop instead of Das would mean that Laxman, who otherwise might bethe one left out, will get a look-in. India can only hope thatthe gamble of playing Sehwag as an opener ­ and that is what itis, a gamble ­ pays off. However, as far as sending Dravid onceagain to open the innings, there should never even be anydiscussion on the subject. He has been made a sacrificial lamb ofsorts in the limited-overs game, and this kind of treatmentshould not be meted out to the vice-captain and the side’s sheetanchor in Tests. It is also to be hoped that he is not entrustedwith the wicket-keeper’s job and that Ajay Ratra will take hisrightful place behind the stumps.

Luke Ronchi has won the prestigious ECB Southern Electric Premier League batting award after hitting a half-century in Bashley-Rydal’s comfortable six-wicket win at Andover.His 53 ensured he finished the leading run scorer in Premier Division 1 – 28 ahead of Liphook’s South African all-rounder Alistair Gray and in front of Damian Shirazi, who finished with a league runners-up medal after BAT surrendered the championship to Havant.To cap a double celebration for Bashley, Kevin Nash grabbed three Andover wickets to win the August Southern Electric Cricketer of the Month prize.Nash took 3-33 to take his August wicket tally to 16 and his season’s haul to 36 – one more victim than team-mate Matt King achieved last year.Toby Radford, the former Sussex and Middlesex opener, fought a lone battle for Andover, who dipped from a promising 80-1 to 150-9.Radford hit a painstaking but nonetheless invaluable 64 – out of 134-7 before he was dismissed – and was the only Andover batsman to master a mean Bashley attack.Ronchi, on his farewell appearance, took 1-11 off ten overs, while Chris Sketchley (2-23) and Neil Taylor (2-27) dictated terms with the ball as Andover struggled on the low-bounce London Road surface.Bashley-Rydal lost promoted opener John Whiting and Andy Sexton, but bright and breezy half-centuries by Ronchi (53) and Neil Thurgood (55) swept them to the brink of a six-wicket win.Thurgood took a distinct liking to Andover spin pair Martin Docis and Gareth Tate, who were hit for a combined total of 74 off 5.3 overs.Dale Middleton’s 22 not out eased Bashley home with 22 overs to spare.Burridge bade their Premiership farewells, losing by four wickets to South Wilts at Lower Bemerton.Ironically, former Burridge all-rounder Tom Caines played a major role in their demise, taking 3-34 before hitting a key 60 in the South Wilts run chase.Only Jo Dixon (25), Paul Hawkins (20) and Paul Ancell (19) made any real impact as Burridge tumbled to 133 all out, Paul Draper (3-21) and Caines sharing six of the wickets.South Wilts promptly lost two wickets for one run, but Caines (60) steadied the slide and, with help from Colin Moody (22) and Tim Lamb (23), eased the Salisbury club to 134-6.Portsmouth fielded only three first team regulars as they too dipped to 133 all out (Dean Oliffe 57) at Liphook & Ripsley.Neil Randall (57) hit his first half-century of the season as Liphook cruised home, with Ali Gray making 43 not out.

As the stumps shattered, the bails flew and the most feared batsman in the Indian team slapped his bat on the pitch in rage at his mistake, the 12 000 or so Jamaicans filling Sabina Park to near-capacity broke into cheering, whistle-blowing celebration.As far as most were concerned, Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket an hour-and-a-quarter after tea on the second day had virtually guaranteed a series-clinching West Indies victory in the fifth and final Cable & Wireless Test.Their euphoria was validated three overs and two runs later when the little opener, Shiv Sunder Das, was lbw to Cameron Cuffy to leave India 86 for four and a distance away from the West Indies total of 422.It was the understandable optimism of a public desperate for the result that would lift spirits for too long depressed by defeat.The reality was somewhat different.The West Indies had secured a grip on the match since Wavell Hinds shared successive century stands with Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan on the opening day during his commanding 118 and they tightened it through more combative cricket yesterday.But three days still remain and, if they are to convert their advantage into the result they require, they cannot afford even an hour of the slack cricket that has caused them so much grief in recent times.India captain Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S.Laxman, both of whom have held them up more than once in the previous Tests, emphasised the work that lies ahead of them, batting through the final hour after the double loss of Tendulkar and Das, adding 55 unbroken as India closed 141 for four.So far, the evidence is that the West Indies know success won’t come without a fight. Every time they have been threatened with trouble, they have responded positively.A typically robust counter-attack by Ridley Jacobs, who clouted two sixes and seven fours in 59 from 90 balls and shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 109 with fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, reclaimed their initiative after Carl Hooper’s dismissal within the first 20 minutes.Hooper departed, deflecting Javagal Srinath’s bouncer high to slip off a withdrawn bat, at 292 for five. Given the record of their shaky tailend, the sizeable total that seemed certain while Hinds, Gayle and Sarwan were piling up the runs remained in doubt.But Jacobs, the most consistently reliable West Indian cricketer since his belated entry into the team over three years ago, and Chanderpaul, in the best form of his life, saw to it that India were denied any further satisfaction as the total went past 400.Merv Dillon then struck two early blows in the Indian reply and the dismissal of Tendulkar and Das after a steadying stand of 69 fortified the West Indies position.Dillon has gradually stepped forward to be the leader of the fast attack now that Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh have exited the scene and, generating 87 mph pace on the true, bouncy, well-grassed pitch, he produced a telling opening burst.He accounted for opener Wasim Jaffer to an edged catch to the keeper in the third over and pinned Rahul Dravid, India’s leading batsman in the series, lbw on the back foot in the seventh to immediately commit India to a struggle.Tendulkar, to Indian cricket what Michael Jordan is to basketball only multiplied several times over, has been proved human in this series, to the incredulity of roughly one billion of his countrymen.His scores in his last four innings of 0 (fourth ball), 0 (second ball), 8 and 0 (first ball) are those of a clueless No. 11, not a batsman with 26 Test hundreds and an average of 58.It took three balls for him to reassert himself. He clipped the first off his legs to the square-leg boundary and drove the second through mid-off for another boundary as the text book advises, both off the dangerous Dillon.For an hour and 35 minutes either side of tea, he shaped as he hadn’t done since he started the series with 79 at Bourda and 117 in the first innings at the Queen’s Park Oval.There were cuts, pulls and drives from the middle of his meaty bat, punishing anything fractionally off-line or length and especially those that were off both.He was not flawless.Hooper quickly introduced the left-arm Pedro Collins, who was responsible for Tendulkar’s ducks in Barbados and Antigua, and Tendulkar’s top-edged hook off his second ball landed in unprotected territory at square-leg.He was 34 when, driving through the line, he offered Collins a low, barely catchable return to his left which the bowler followed with a bouncer and a good claim for lbw from the next two balls.But Collins was wicketless when Hooper called on Adam Sanford to replace him for his first spell.Tendulkar promptly cover-drove the bounding Carib for his seventh boundary but it was his last. Essaying the same stroke from a ball of full length from the same bowler, he somehow got himself into a tangle.The bat came down crooked and the ball diverted from its bottom edge into the stumps. Sabina, noisy at the worst of times, exploded with a cacaphony that could be heard in Montego Bay.The hullaballo hadn’t died down when Das, aiming to leg and across the line of a ball of good length from Cuffy, was clearly lbw.It was the last wicket for the day for the West Indies as the left-handed Ganguly and Laxman played with few alarms.The West Indies owed their final total as much to the assertive Jacobs as to the three young tyros of the previous day.Adopting the method he knows best and that earned him his 118 in the previous Test he immediately took the attack to the bowlers.He hoisted a four and a six over long-off with powerful, aerial strokes from successive balls during an over from Srinath that also contained four byes that sailed over the leaping wicket-keeper and cost 19.The introduction of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh made no difference to him.As Chanderpaul batted solidly at the other end to carry his series aggregate above 500, Jacobs continued his onslaught, twice lifting Harbhajan for six.By the time Harbhajan gained his revenge and breached his back foot defence 20 minutes after lunch, the total was already past 400.Harbhajan added the wickets of Dillon and Sanford to bring his haul to five for the innings.

Neither Otago nor Canterbury could claim to have secured the advantage after the first play of their State Championship match at Molyneux Park in Alexandra today.Otago, limped their way to 206 after being 66/4 and 121/6 at different stages of their innings while Canterbury at stumps were in the precarious position of 31/3.When play began this morning in the 156th first-class contest between the two sides, a clear blue sky with a cool temperature greeted the players but by the time stumps were drawn a very hot day had been experienced.Brendon McCullum, with a forceful 40, led the way for Otago with the first wicket not being lost until the total reached 60.Runs were hard to come by for many periods of play but Craig Pryor with 46 fought hard and a patient 29 by No 9 Nathan Morland was all Otago had to look back on with any satisfaction.Debutants Jordan Sheed and Scott Waide scored 14 and 12 respectively and gave us a small glimpse of future promise. Martyn Croy faced 76 balls for seven runs.The Canterbury bowling was quite tight with Wade Cornelius impressing again with four for 36 from his 25.5 overs.Paul Wiseman, in perhaps not his best season, with three for 22 from 13 also bowled well, while Chris Harris with two for 35 from 20 overs was most economical.Warren Wisneski left the field with an injured foot having no success for 46 from 12.2 overs. Ryan Burson with one for 49 from 18 overs completed the Canterbury wicket takers.Canterbury started their innings with only nine overs to bat until stumps and never found the exercise easy. They lost Shanan Stewart for one, Robbie Frew for 15 and nightwatchman Burson for three to be 31/3 at the close of play.Bowling for Otago, David Sewell had good reward for his initial efforts with two for eight while Kerry Walsmley took the other wicket at a cost of 21 runs.Day two looms as a most interesting one with Canterbury desperate to get first innings points but against an Otago side which seems to have the upper hand at the end of day one.

Ben Hollioake guided Surrey to a comfortable victory over Hampshire on the first day of cricket at the £17m Rose Bowl, more easily achieved than the 23-run margin suggests.A crowd of around 1,200 watched the first day’s play at the new ground and saw a low-scoring game in which Alistair Brown’s 33 in the Surrey innings was the best individual total of the match.Hampshire captain Robin Smith, mindful of the damp wicket and outfield, chose to field first and watched with growing anxiety as Surrey openers Mark Butcher and Ian Ward put on 55 for the first wicket in 15 overs.But then Neil Johnson, Hampshire’s Zimbabwean overseas player, struck with his first delivery for his new employers when he had Ward caught at mid-on by Alex Morris and Surrey were never able to accelerate.Johnson finished with three for 41 and there were two wickets each for Morris and Shaun Udal as Surrey fell away to 194 all out. Alex Tudor, run out off the last ball of the 50 overs, made an important contribution with 26.Johnson was out without scoring to the fourth ball from Martin Bicknell’s first over of the Hampshire reply and Smith laboured uncharacteristically for 16 overs for his ten.Ben Hollioake made sure Hampshire failed to recover by dismissing Jason Laney, Dimitri Mascarenhas and John Stephenson in a three-over spell and also held a competent catch to get rid of Will Kendall.There was some late order resistence from Alex Morris, Adrian Aymes and Udal from 106 for seven but Hampshire never looked capable of overhauling the Surrey total and were 171-9 when they ran out of overs.Hampshire chief executive Tony Baker said: “We were pleased with the first day’s play and the spectators seemed to like the new ground. There is much work still to be done but we are off the mark.”

Somerset fast bowler Richard Johnson is likely to be missing from the scene for the next few games after pulling a hamstring whilst bowling in the Benson and Hedges match against Northants at Taunton yesterday.This morning Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson told me: "Richard has suffered yet another a hamstring injury and whilst he is sidelined recovering from that he will undergo minor manipulative surgery to remove some floating debris from a troublesome knee that will keep him out of the game for nearly three weeks."Reflecting on yesterday’s defeat the chief told me: "Clearly the coach, the captain and the players are all very disappointed. They performed under par against Warwickshire and then repeated this at Taunton in front of a home crowd yesterday. Our bowling display was poor on a good pitch and the fielding was not up to par. This was doubly disappointing after the professional and technical approach to the pre-season."The chief continued: " The Somerset coach, captain and the players will be having discussions about what can be done to sort things out, but supporters can take heart because we didn’t get perform very well last season early on."The Somerset squad for the game at Bristol tomorrow against table topping Gloucestershire will be strengthened by the return of Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick.Even though the presence of the two England stars is unlikely to be able to help the Cidermen to qualify for the next stage of the competition, this may well be the only time that the two teams meet this season so there will be a lot of personal pride at stake tomorrow.

Yuvraj Singh, who is expected to mark his return to international cricket during the first Twenty20 in Visakhapatnam, has said he is treating his comeback as a new beginning. The match is expected to be attended by several of his friends and family members.Yuvraj overcame a rare germ cell cancer, diagnosed late last year, after undergoing chemotherapy in the USA and was named in the Twenty20 squad after being declared fit by doctors at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.”It is hard to believe that I will be playing for India again,” Yuvraj said. “A few months back I had trouble climbing four steps, now I can’t wait to take the field. It is like starting a new life.”Yuvraj has received a lot of media attention over recent months, with fans praying for his speedy recovery. It continued when he resumed training and not surprisingly, much of the attention in the lead-up to the first Twenty20 against New Zealand has centered on him. However, the captain MS Dhoni cautioned that the increased attention could be distracting to the player and the team, especially with the World Twenty20 coming up in Sri Lanka.”The whole world is talking about his comeback in a manner as if they are helping him out. In a way, it puts the burden on the individual,” Dhoni said. “It’s important to keep it as normal as possible, not to let him think what has really happened in his life.”He has fought through it as he is a strong character. As I said, he needs to turn up and just enjoy his cricket. That’s what he has done from age-group cricket till now. So he should not think about anything else.”Yuvraj’s return was welcomed by his fellow team-mates, some of whom last shared a dressing room with him back in November 2011, during the home Tests against West Indies.”Now this is what we call a comeback,” said Harbhajan Singh, who is also making a return after being dropped. “There can’t be a bigger inspiration in cricket than Yuvi. It is a privilege to be back in the dressing room with him.”Batsman Suresh Raina said his story was an inspiration. “Yuvi is such a great fighter. He has put in so much effort, and worked really hard at the NCA,” Raina said. “You will get to see this when he comes out on the field. He is a team man. We are pretty confident that he will do well.”