Yuvraj bowls over kids with childhood experiences

New Delhi, Oct 20 (UNI) Thirty minutes was what all they got after waiting for more than an hour for Yuvraj Singh but the children had a ball interacting with the dashing Team India player as he shared his childhood experiences with them here today.

Several children supported by Child Relief and You (CRY) were all excited to meet their favourite cricket star but the wait kept getting longer for the kids. However, the Punjab player bowled them over with his sense of humour after arriving.

Yuvraj, accompanied by mother Shabnam Singh, arrived an hour late and was hounded by the waiting media which cared little about the kids. The chaos, which marked his arrival, threatened to overshadow the noble cause for which the dashing left-hander had come.

Yuvraj was supposed to share his childhood experiences with the waiting kids and he did manage to charm the children with some witty answers to their queries in whatever little time he could spare in the midst of the media chaos.

''Did you ever get scolded by the teachers for not doing your homework?,'' asked nine-year-old Sooraj, who later also got some batting tips from the Indian middle-order bat.

''As a kid I was not very fond of studies. My mother used to force me to do my homework,'' replied Yuvraj as mother Shabnam smiled on.

''I used to love cricket and spent most of my time on it but now when I look back, I would say studies are equally important. I have been scolded and even got some thrashing from my teachers during my school days,'' he went on to add.

The dashing batsman advised Sooraj to concentrate on studies but also take time off to play some cricket.

''Chote Miyan, study hard but do take time out to play. It is important for your overall development,'' he said.

''I like him a lot. I love watching him bat,'' the nine-year-old said after his brief interaction with Yuvraj.

In no mood to talk about matters related to cricket, Yuvraj said he was here to support a cause and wanted to restrict himself to that.

''Coming here is a special experience for me, because I feel strongly for children and belive every child deserves a happy childhood. You and I can make a difference by holding governments accountable to their responsibility towards our children and communities,'' he said.

After the brief interaction, the kids got a chance to play some cricket with the left-hander and some of them managed to surprise Yuvraj with their under-hand deliveries.

The 24-year-old signed off by wishing the kids a happy Diwali.

''I wish you all a very happy diwali and I hope that you all have bright futures awaiting you,'' he told the kids as they jostled to get an autograph or a photograph taken with the star batsman.

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