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On the occasion of an exciting T20I series between India and Australia at Mohali, the Punjab Chief minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh stand. This was a tribute by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for the contribution of both the local players to the national team.
The southern stand was named after Harbhajan, while the northern stand will be adorned by Yuvraj's name. In this regard, the former all-rounder expressed his delight to be back at his home stadium, and receive this prestigious honour. The 40-year-old then reckoned that he can not commit to any coaching role at this moment, as he wants to see his son Orion grow up.
"It's a nice feeling to be back at the PCA Stadium like this. I am wearing the BCCI blazer at my own stadium for the first time. It feels wonderful to be called by my former parent association and get acknowledged," Yuvraj told PTI.
"I still work with the players on and off. I have worked with the Punjab Cricketers in the past as well. But I want to see my child growing up. So, I am not sure if I can commit to something full-time to the association at this stage,' he signed off.
Yuvraj slammed 11778 runs and scalped 148 across three formats for the Men in Blue, while also being named Player of the Tournament in India's 2011 World Cup victory. On the other hand, Harbhajan took a total of 711 wickets across all formats. Both of them started their journey from the Punjab state team in the late 90s.
Furthermore, the likes of Bharti Vij, Mahesh Inder Singh, Bhupinder Singh Sr, current India selector Harvinder Singh and current India batting coach Vikram Rathour were also honoured along with Yuvraj and Harbhajan.
If talked about on-field performances, the Indian team failed to defend their mammoth total of 208 runs. The contributions from Cameron Green (55) and Matthew Wade (45*) helped Australia to seal the game. For India, Hardik Pandya top-scored with 71* off 30 balls, which is now his highest T20I score as well.
