Yuvraj relishing Pietersen battle
Yuvraj Singh has looked in fine form for India so far and admits he can't wait for tonight's crucial clash with England
Yuvraj Singh admits he and Kevin Pietersen are "great friends" off the field - but the India all-rounder insists he will be going all out to get the better of the England batsman when the duo meet today.
Both holders India and hosts England need a victory in the Super Eights encounter to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals.
It is a stage set for the differing talents of England batsman Pietersen and India's hard-hitting Yuvraj, who enjoyed a battle on and off the pitch during the recent Test and one-day series between the two countries.
Pietersen branded Yuvraj a "pie-chucker" during that series, while the India all-rounder responded by suggesting that dismissing Pietersen five times meant he was a "useless batsman".
The pair have met just once since - in the recent Indian Premier League - and Yuvraj is keen to renew their rivalry on the field at Lord's.
"If I get the chance I would love to bowl to him again and I am sure he would love to call me a pie-chucker again," enthused Yuvraj.
"He's a great batsman and we always look forward to playing against each other - we're great friends off the field. We spur each other on; we both love doing that."
While Yuvraj's confrontation with Pietersen will ensure a lively bout of verbal sparring in the middle, there is no doubt that facing England also raises his competitive desire.
He scored two centuries in last November's one-day series against England, performed consistently in the Test series win before Christmas and memorably hit Stuart Broad for six sixes during India's march to World Twenty20 glory in in 2007.
Yuvraj's onslaught was revenge for all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas hitting his own bowling for five successive sixes during the one-day series in England, although he is not expecting to emulate the feat at Lord's.
Yuvraj has often saved his best form for matches against England and is likely to pose a serious threat at Lord's
"Hitting six sixes is always special, especially when you've been hit for five," he said. "That will be in the back of my mind but this is a new day.
"I'm not a person who believes in mind games. Every day is a new day and everybody can have a good day with the ball and the bat.
"There's always a bit of healthy chat when India play against England and both teams want to excel. It's a proud moment to play for your country and you want to beat the opposition.
"Sometimes it brings out the best in you, but sometimes if you're fired up too much it can bring out the worst in you so you have to control your aggression, but I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow."
Yuvraj added: "England are looking a good team but we've had the edge over England in a lot of games and we'll take that confidence into tomorrow.
"I'm not thinking about one more bad game or what's going to happen if we lose. In the last three years we've won 80% of our matches and I'm very confident of winning our next game."
India are expected to name the same side which slumped to a seven-wicket defeat against West Indies, with Rohit Sharma continuing to deputise as opener after Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury.
