The fans love his lazy elegance, and the critics have compared him to Frank Woolley and Gary Sobers, but Yuvraj Singh, 21, remains very much his own man.

The left-handed batsman's first stint in county cricket, with Yorkshire, did not go as well as planned. While the experience of playing in English conditions will surely help him improve, there are many who feel the loss of confidence after playing in England could hurt him in the near future. But the young man oozes with confidence and is sure he will perform well in forthcoming matches for India.

"County cricket was a good experience. Being away from home for three months is always difficult, but if you want to improve, you have to play outside India. I agree that I did not fare very well, but still I learnt about a lot of things other than cricket as well," he says.

The critics have ridiculed both the Ranji Trophy and county circuit, right from the pitches, the number of matches played and the quality of cricket, but Yuvraj feels the critics are everywhere and will always crib about something or the other.

"The cricket played in England is different from what is played by us back home. The weather conditions are different and so is the quality of cricket played. The quality of cricketers in India is a lot better than in England. We have a lot more talent in India.

"Their [English] cricket is more defined, more realistic; they play a lot more matches there."

During the World Cup, when he was at the wicket there was a certain calmness in the dressing room. That was because of his maturity for the big occasion.

"My mindset has not changed. When I first started playing I was very flashy and would try to hit a lot of shots but with time and experience I have improved. Now when I go out to bat I want to be there till the end. I have to play my strokes, but I have to also see what the situation demands," he says.

With the game becoming very physical, Yuvraj is part of the new brigade of cricketers who agree that fitness has played a very important role in the rise of Indian cricket.

"Adrian Le Roux [former Indian team trainer] worked with us for one-and-a-half year. He knew exactly what the problems were with the boys and formulated new strategies to counter them. Even now he is in constant touch with Gregory Allen King [the new trainer] and they are co-ordinating well. Let's hope King is as good as Le Roux for us."

His first county stint was a topic of intense interest for his fans, but his bad form was distressing, to say the least. One wonders whether a break from the game would have been a better option than going through the hard grind of the English season.

"No, rest is a not good option right now. I am young and need to play as much cricket as I can get. The older players have played a lot of cricket and have gained experience; now it is my turn to slog. It is basically very simple, as the amount of cricket I play increases; I will become a better cricketer."

The tour of New Zealand was a tough one for the Indian team. The matches were close but it was always the Kiwis who came out tops. The pitches, the weather conditions were just about the worst seen in international cricket in a long time. And now the Kiwis are coming to India...

"No one got many runs. We played those matches on their pitches and now we play on our tracks and it will be difficult for them."

So is revenge on Yuvraj's mind?