The vanishing smile

Once upon a time Rajkot used to be a land of Kings. Someone in the Indian dressing room might have reminded Yuvraj Singh about the place.
On Wednesday Yuvraj ensured that he will not lose his place in the Team India, with a glittering all-round display.
Young pacer Rudra Pratap Singh took four wickets, but to me the biggest performer of the day was Yuvraj. It was not his unbeaten 79 that mattered most; it was the approach he brought on to the field.
Though Sri Lanka had lost wickets, they were not really struggling. The way Tillakaratne Dilshan batted, he could have turned to naught all the good work done by Indian bowlers. He was scoring run-a-ball, Indian bowling had realized his explosive finishing off abilities at Ahmedabad and now appeared bereft of ideas.
Then came Yuvraj Singh’s direct hit that went swifter than Dilshan to the stumps. Sheer opportunism and athleticism were the factors that terminated the most threatening innings Sri Lankans dared to produce in Rajkot. And the fact that it came from Yuvraj, a young man struggling to regain his batting touch, a man not riding on the highest levels of confidence, tells it all. Such an attitude to survival fits best in the scheme of things of any winning team. And you just imagine Sourav Ganguly coming up with that kind of plebeian effort!
After such a bright, swift, show of his commitment to Team India’s cause runs were bound to come for Yuvraj. That Yuvraj outpaced Mohammad Kaif at the batting crease was not a surprise at all.
Kaif appeared solid; Yuvraj beaming.
The smile and swagger must be vanishing from Sourav Ganguly’s mien.