While several city residents wished the 30-year-old best of luck, the children of the school where he grew up playing cricket were also excited to see him back after a long gap.
"Today is a great day. Finally, Yuvraj is back and so again the ball will disappear out of the stadium. Wish him all the very best and hope he keeps playing for India for a long time and entertains everyone as always," said Gaurav Thapar, an avid fan of the cricketer, who is known for hitting towering sixes.
Having grown up playing cricket in DAV School in Sector 8 here, the school's children were excited at the prospect of seeing the cricketer back in action after 10 months.
"Yuvi paa ji is a hero. He is a champion. First, he helped India clinch the World Cup after a gap of nearly three decades and later he defeated a fatal disease. We are so excited to see him back in action again," said Amit, a student of the school.
In his tweet, Yuvraj said that playing the Twenty20 International against New Zealand would be the biggest moment in his career since the 2011 cricket World Cup final.
In May, the Punjab government had rewarded Yuvraj with a cash prize of Rs 1 crore for his "outstanding contribution" to the Indian cricket team's win in the Wold Cup last year.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also offered 20 acres of land near Chandigarh to Yuvraj for setting up a sports academy.
