Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh is often cited as one of the bravest players in Indian cricket. He battled cancer and then returned to playing his favorite sport, but in an honest chat with former tennis superstar Sania Mirza, he revealed his biggest nightmare that led him to quit playing cricket.
His story has been truly inspiring for many people. From being a young boy interested in the game to becoming one of the world’s most famous white-ball all-rounders. Yuvraj Singh has done all this in his career. He was part of India’s two World Cup teams in 2003 and 2011 when they made it to the finals of the competition.
Born to former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh, Yuvraj was a high-class athlete from the beginning and soon joined the Indian team as a young cricketer. Recipient of the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri, he is one of the most respected cricketers in the country.
For what reason did Yuvraj Singh leave his cricket career?
Yuvraj Singh recently appeared on a podcast with former Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and spoke candidly about his ordeal. Yuvraj has always been a bold character who does not shy away from revealing anything about himself.
When asked what caused such an illustrious career to end, the former all-rounder did not cite a bad series or a bad innings or lack of runs with the bat. He suggested that it was mentally and physically draining, which made him begin to perceive the game as an obligation and not something he enjoyed.
Yuvraj Singh said, “I wasn’t enjoying my game. I was like why am I playing cricket when I’m not enjoying it? I wasn’t feeling supported. I wasn’t feeling respected. And I felt why do I need to do this when I don’t have it? What to prove? I can’t do anything more mentally or physically and it was hurting me. And the day I stopped it, I was myself again.”
“I don’t take it personally, but my father used to take it personally” – Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh’s confession was a true insight into the glamorous life that often lies behind the elite sporting spotlight. In the same conversation, Yuvraj Singh also mentioned an incident from his teenage days.
Through claims by Yograj Singh, it was reported that a former Indian cricketer had doubted Yuvraj’s ability in the game when he was 13–14 years old. Someone who did not have a very good relationship with the cricketer’s father. Yuvraj Singh commented on this:
“Now, when I look back at it, I think he didn’t have time to look after me properly. He was absolutely nice to my father. Obviously, he was playing for India at the time, so he might have said that. I was 13-14 years old at the time, just learning a game. I don’t take it personally, but my father took it personally.”
Yuvraj Singh’s brilliant career in the tricolor
The Indian left-handed all-rounder had a surprising career for India. Born in Punjab, this cricketer made his debut for India in the year 2000 at the age of 18 and then continued playing in the tricolor jersey for 17 years.
Having played in India’s golden years, Yuvraj was a major contributor to India’s success. He scored 8701 runs in 304 ODI matches for India in the middle order, and also took 111 wickets. Also playing in T20Is, he scored 1177 runs in 58 matches and took 29 wickets with the ball.
This dynamic cricketer had a short Test career and scored 1900 runs in 40 Test matches and took 10 wickets with the red ball. In his illustrious career, he won the ICC World Cup in 2011, the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 and the Champions Trophy in 2002 and was also the runner-up on several occasions.
The 2011 CWC Man of the Tournament was the highest paid cricketer in the IPL on three occasions.
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