Chennai, February 17 Until Tuesday morning, Yuvraj Samra continued to play cricket due to his passion for the sport, but after his record-breaking 110 off 65 balls against New Zealand in a T20 World Cup match here, the 19-year-old from Brampton, Canada, is now hopeful of "making a living" from the game.
Named after India's white-ball legend Yuvraj Singh by his cricket-loving father, Baljit Samra, the teenager became the youngest to score a century in a T20 World Cup game, and also the first from an Associate nation to achieve this milestone.
"I feel like this innings could change my life. I can actually make a good living from this sport, especially being from Canada, and I feel like it could be a real dream come true," Samra told reporters after his knock went in vain against a formidable New Zealand team.
Samra hit 11 fours and six sixes during his whirlwind innings, which became the foundation of his team's total of 173 against a higher-ranked opponent.
He was dismissed in the final over while attempting another big hit against Jacob Duffy.
Samra believes in the power of manifestation and felt that this moment was his destiny, and he can at least try his luck in T20 leagues around the world.
"Yes, I have always been thinking about this moment, day and night, every day. I just want to make a name for myself in this World Cup and make a living from this sport, especially being from Canada," he said.
Samra also highlighted how difficult it is to fine-tune his skills back home, where cricket is a three-month affair due to the cold weather.
"In Canada, it's not that easy because we only get three months to play, as the weather is usually around -25 or -30 degrees, so it's really hard. We try to come to countries like Sri Lanka, which have good weather," he said.
"But I feel like we have a good management, they support us, they take us on pre-tournament tours, and we get good preparation there."
His father has been a constant source of encouragement, and Samra was sad that he couldn't make it to Chennai to witness his son's most eventful day in his fledgling career.
"I feel like my father plays the biggest role in my cricketing journey. I really wish he was here watching this game, but all the credit goes to my father," he said.
Getting a standing ovation from the Chennai crowd of around 16,000 was also a special feeling.
"The moment I stepped onto this ground, I was just like, wow, playing at this type of venue is amazing, because we never get to play at these types of grounds, especially in Canada, or anywhere in the world. So it's just a great feeling," he concluded.