Chennai, 17 Feb

Till Tuesday morning Yuvraj Samra pursued cricket because of his passion for the sport but after his record 65-ball-110 against New Zealand in a T20 World Cup game here, the 19-year-old from Canada's Brampton is now hopeful of making a "living out of the game."

Named after India's white-ball legend Yuvraj Singh by his cricket-mad father Baljit Samra, the teenager became the youngest to score a ton in a T20 World Cup game and also the first from an Associate nation to achieve the milestone.

"I feel like this inning could change my life. I can actually make a good living out of this sport, especially being from Canada and I feel like it can be a real dream come true," Samra told reporters after his knock went in vain against a marauding New Zealand line-up.

Samra struck 11 fours and half a dozen sixes during his whirlwind effort, which became the foundation of his team's 173-run total against the higher-ranked opponents.

He was dismissed in the final over while attempting another big hit against Jacob Duffy.

Samra believes a lot in manifestation and felt that this moment was his destiny and he can at least try his luck in T20 leagues across the globe now.

"Yes, I've always been thinking about this moment, day and night, every day. I just want to make a name in this World Cup and make a living out of this sport, especially being from Canada," he said.

Samra underlined how difficult it is to fine-tune his skills back home where cricket is a three-month vocation.

"In Canada, it's not that easy because we only get three months to play as there's like minus 25 or minus 30 degree weather, so it's really hard. We try to come out to countries like Sri Lanka which have good weather.

"But I feel like we have a good management, they back 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 the most eventful day in his son's fledgling career.

"I feel like in my cricketing journey, my dad plays the biggest role. I really wish he was here watching this game, but all the credit goes to my dad."

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 type of grounds, especially in Canada, or anywhere in the world. So it's just a great feeling," he concluded.