Left-hander Yuvraj Singh, who played a blazing knock of 75 in the Indian second innings, said he is not worried about his place in the side and just concentrating on playing according to the team's needs.
"I don't worry about whether I have cemented my place in the side or not," he told reporters at the end of day three in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
India posted a healthy 287 for 9 in their second innings, after bowling out Sri Lanka for 206 in their first, to take a mammoth lead of 479, with two days to go.
Yuvraj walked out to the middle with India tottering at 34 for 3, having lost three of their most experienced batsmen in Virender Sehwag (0), V V S Laxman (5) and Sachin Tendulkar (19). But the Punjab left-hander's aggressive knock paved the way for the huge lead.
"The idea was to stay positive and not worry about wickets falling at the other end."
Gautam Gambhir, under pressure to deliver a big knock after his three previous failures in the series, failed again as he fell to Muttiah Muralitharan for 31. The Delhi opener played a subdued innings before gifting his wicket to a short delivery from Muralitharan.
With wickets falling at the other end, Yuvraj did not let go off the accelerator, forcing Sri Lanka into the defensive, while amassing some quick runs for India.
"You can't expect the openers to get you off to a start every time. If the openers fail, it is up to the middle-order to stand up and deliver. I have been in good touch, had two good one-day series and I wanted to carry that form with me to the middle. You have to see the situation and play accordingly. I went out thinking positively, thinking of playing my natural game and playing my shots," he said.
Asked whether this was one of his best Test innings, he replied that he had played some crucial innings in the past also.
"I made a century in Lahore last year when the team was 120 for seven. The last Test in Delhi was also good, I had an important partnership with Sourav [Ganguly]. Here we were 200 runs ahead. I have not played too many Tests, so I can't compare and rate innings. But I am happy with whatever I have done so far. I am looking forward to doing better. I don't think so much about the past or the future; I just back myself to do well when I go out to bat," he said.
Fellow-Punjab mate Harbhajan Singh, who took seven for 62 in Sri Lanka's first innings, also praised Yuvraj's destructive knock, saying he was impressed by the way he handled Muralitharan.
"It was a very good knock from him; it was a much-needed one from the team's point of view. The way he handled Murali and the other spinners was brilliant. The innings has put us in a fantastic position from which we can now look to win the game."
Harbhajan had given India the upper hand by taking his first five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka in Test cricket as India took a huge first innings lead of 192 runs.
"I was very happy with all the wickets I took in this innings. It's not easy to take Test wickets, so every wicket is very satisfying. More than the wickets, I am happy with the way I am bowling, and I am looking forward to having a bowl in the second innings too. As far as I am concerned, every game is important. When I play for India, every game is important for me, for the team and for the country. I go out and try to do my best in each and every game."
Asked about plans for the Sri Lankan second innings?
"The plan is to bowl well and win the game!"
"It was important for us to start well, but we lost wickets early in the first innings. Hopefully, we can get ten more wickets and finish this series off with another victory."
Harbhajan said this was a good surface to bat on and it supported both the batsmen and bowlers.
"There is good, true bounce. It is not like the Kotla, where the ball stayed low. This is not two-paced; the ball is coming nicely on to the bat. If you are good enough a player, you can score runs and take wickets too."
However, Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga, who troubled the Indian batsmen with his occasional burst of short-pitched bowling, termed the wickets in India as dead and said that pitches back home in Sri Lanka are better and more conducive for fast bowling.
"There is bounce and seam for the pacemen in Sri Lanka. Tracks here are too dead, they help only the spinners and the batsmen. I think the Lankan tracks are much better for the fast bowlers," he said.
The 22-year-old said his round-armish action does not put too much strain on his body.
