Fit-again Yuvraj raring to go

Yuvraj Singh had a forgettable 2010 © AFP Enlarge

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Yuvraj Singh had a year to forget in 2010, with a loss of form and fitness costing him a place in the Test side, and briefly even his one-day spot. Hand fractures, a wrist injury, and a neck strain all contributed to his toughest year in international cricket, but Yuvraj has said he's now "100% fit" and primed for his third World Cup.

"I used to get thoughts like 'Should I quit the game' because I was getting injured all the time, and it was difficult to get back on the field and repeatedly getting injured," Yuvraj said in Bangalore. "It was a tough phase, I've gone through it, definitely my body is feeling better and I'm feeling 100% fit at the right time, which is the World Cup."

This will be Yuvraj's third World Cup, and he has been part of two contrasting campaigns - cruising to the final in 2003, and crashing out at the first hurdle in 2007. He was keen to erase memories of the debacle in the Caribbean four years ago, and focus on preparing for the challenge ahead. "We have definitely thought about the 2007 World Cup in West Indies and the reasons for not qualifying for the next round," he said. "We are preparing well for the first game against Bangladesh, we are charged up and raring to go."

With India likely to go in with only four specialist bowlers, Yuvraj will have to chip in with his left-arm spin, something he has done regularly over the past couple of years. "I don't think I am a specialist bowler. I just enjoy my bowling whatever situation I get, whatever results I get are great," he said. "The day I start thinking I'm a specialist bowler, I'll start getting hit."

Three of India's frontline bowlers have been around for nearly a decade, and the team boasts of perhaps the strongest batting line-up in the competition, but Yuvraj pointed out one area where the side needed to improve. "We have a lot of experience in bowling and batting, if we field well in the World Cup it will definitely help."