England’s captain, Kevin Peterson has been hit by a missile named Yuvraj Singh. After the Punjab left-hander smashed successive centuries and then, to add insult to injury came up trumps with the ball in the second ODI in Indore, Peterson and his mates must have been left wondering, how to at least effect some damage control. It was good that the England captain revealed a sense of humour, when he said that the only way to stop Yuvraj is to lock him up. Peterson might know that it was precisely what the older citizens of his adopted country wanted to do with Donald Bradman.

Yuvraj is no Bradman and will never be.

Those who understand the game would say quite categorically that he is a dangerous ODI and Twenty20 batsman. There is no doubt that he can improve, provided he sets his mind to it and learns to be modest. The problem is with his technique, as his play off the back-foot leaves a lot to be desired in Tests.

Of course, his doting father, who played one Test match for India, Yograj Singh, has said that his son has been working hard. Working hard in the conception of father and son is training hard physically. It has nothing to do with honing one’s cricketing skills.

As far as the shorter and shortest forms of the game are concerned, Yuvi, as he is known to his mates, can be devastating, as he has proved. One remembers West Indian Collis King having the same impact in the 1979 World Cup final against England. But he never lasted in Test cricket.

There is a lesson in this for Yuvraj. He might end up winning seven man-of-the-match awards and have seven motorcycles, but Peterson might also find to his relief, that Yuvraj is not the same batsman in Test cricket.

What is Yuvraj doing about it?