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International Cricket

Yuvraj Singh has recovered from a finger injury and is available for tomorrow's second ODI. international against Australia.

Yuvraj sustained the injury during practice ahead of the match against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

He was included in the squad for the series against Australia but was forced to sit out the opener which the tourists edged by four runs.

His return is a welcome boost for Dhoni, who said: "Yuvraj has been the backbone of our batting line-up, especially because he bats at number four and at a time when the ball is changed and the second powerplay comes into the picture.

"Someone with the capabilities of Yuvraj at that stage is a huge help and it's not just his batting, but his bowling as well.

"With him around you have the luxury of another part-time bowler so even if the others have a poor day, you have one more option."

Although Dhoni refused to name his XI, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is likely to make way for Yuvraj's inclusion.

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India's defeat in Vadodara came on the heels of a poor campaign in the Champions Trophy in South Africa and a first round exit from the World Twenty20 in England where India were defending champions.

Dhoni admitted his team was going through a rough patch.

"We had achieved a standard where we were winning about 70% of the games we played, but that win percentage has definitely fallen," Dhoni said.

"But if you look at it, this team has been hit with a number of injuries and we have a lot of youngsters coming into the team.

"It's good that they are learning the ropes, they need to play as many games as possible.

"We are going through a tough period and everyone is finding it hard to perform, but once we get through this patch, we will have a number of youngsters who have had the experience of playing about 25-30 internationals under their belt.

"It is certainly going to make us stronger."

Dhoni, however, believes the immediate concern is the bowling at the end of an innings.

"It has been a worry for us for the past few months," he added.

"We haven't been great bowling at the death and even in the last game, between overs 43 and 49 we gave away more than 50 runs.

"If we can bring that number down, it will count at the end of the day."

Several former international players, including Sourav Ganguly and Adam Gilchrist, believe Dhoni should move up the order from his current position at number five.

But Dhoni explained that's not on the agenda at the moment.

"It's a difficult choice to make because our batting order is very strong," he said.

"We have Viru (Virender Sehwag) and Sachin (Tendulkar) opening the innings, Gautam (Gambhir) at number three and Yuvraj at number four, so the next slot is only number five.

"I do bat at different slots, but the batting positions of these four players are pretty much fixed.

"We do choose batting positions based on the effect a certain batsman can have on the game at that point in time and we could shift Yuvraj as we have done in the past.

"But it's difficult for me to bat at three or four every time."

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