Yuvraj hopes quick century marks turning point

By Sanjay Rajan

RAJKOT, India (Reuters) - Yuvraj Singh hopes his match-winning century in the first one-dayer against England will turn around a poor run of form that nearly cost him his place in the team.

The 26-year-old left-hander scored just 72 runs in five outings during the one-day series in Sri Lanka in August and subsequently lost his vice-captaincy.

On Friday, 138 not out off just 78 balls, he struck the second fastest one-day century by an Indian to put the match out of England's reach as the hosts posted 387 for five for their best one-day total against a test-playing nation.

"I have got a good start to the series and would like to continue this form as I have not been in good form of late," Yuvraj told a news conference.

"I think this is one of my best knocks in one-day cricket. I timed the ball very well and am happy with the effort," added the player, who was not part of the 2-0 test series victory over Australia.

"Proving to anyone was not my issue. My issue was to prove to myself that I was good enough to play at this level," said the middle-order batsman who pulled a muscle in his back and employed a runner.

"There was a lot of pain, I was struggling to bend. Running and twisting would have been a problem, it was good that I got a runner."

On his availability for the second match at Indore on Monday, he said: "If I am fully fit I will play the game if not, no. Gut feeling is good, I am positive."