Yuvraj will miss the first Test

New Delhi: Strongly backing his former captain Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday said he “deserved” a place in the team in his own right and not just as a replacement.

“Sourav is a great leader. He deserves a place in the team. I do not bother much about my position. I’ll play whenever my chance comes,” said Yuvraj.

“Sourav has played 48 Test matches as a captain and, of course, I am sure he’ll be out there. He will be there in the team for the first Test,” he told a TV channel.

He also praised Sourav’s leadership qualities. “He is a great leader and mentally very strong. He’s always supported me and given me a lot of confidence. I respect him.”

Yuvraj, who emerged as the hero of India’s recent Pakistan tour, agreed that he had evolved over the time as a cricketer.

“It is not just about maturity. If I have a good series, people say that I have become mature. But slowly by playing games you learn more. It’s a part of evolution as a cricketer.

“But I still don’t mind being the bad guy of the class. I’ve always been like that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yuvraj will not play the first Test against England in Nagpur because of the hamstring injury he suffered during Sunday’s final ODI in Karachi.

While a decision on Virender Sahwag will only be taken on Wednesday, Harbhajan Singh is fit and raring to go, according to BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Shah said: “As the final medical report on Sehwag will be known on Wedneday, we will arrive at the final decision on his inclusion only then.”

The BCCI treasurer, N. Srinivasan, who also addressed the media, said that India and Pakistan will meet each other again in a two-match series in Abu Dhabi on April 18 and 19.

“The proceeds of the matches will go to earthquake-affected people of Pakistan and Kashmir.”

“Seventy-five per cent of the proceeds from the first match would go to Pakistan and 25 per cent to Kashmir. The proceeds from the second game would be shared between the two boards,” Srinivasan said.

The working committee of the BCCI, according to Srinivasan, has also decided to sanction pension of Rs 25,000 to former Test cricketers, who retired before 1975. “Earlier they used to receive Rs 10,000. We raised it after quite a few former players including Polly Umrigar recommended it.”

The working committee, Srinivasan said, has also authorised the president Sharad Pawar to finalise the venues for the Champions Trophy. “The committee has also approved the award of TV contract to Nimbus.”