The memories of India’s historic win in the 2011 World Cup are still etched in everyone’s memories. The iconic win is still remembered for MS Dhoni’s perfect finish and Sachin Tendulkar’s dream of lifting the World Cup trophy finally coming true on the sixth try. Besides these two, Yuvraj Singh‘s contribution with both bat and the ball, while battling a deadly disease made him the star of the Indian world cup-winning team and an inspiration for millions of cricket lovers around the world.
Yuvraj Singh shone with both bat and ball for the MS Dhoni-led Indian cricket team and turned out to be a consistent performer in every department. While he produced some crucial knocks throughout the tournament, including his half-century in the quarter-final against Australia, he also chipped in some important wickets throughout the tournament with the ball.
However, what made his contribution to the tournament more special was the fact that he was struggling with his form before the tournament started, with many pointing fingers at his place in India’s XI.
Sachin Revealed The Honest Conversation He Had With Yuvi
Meanwhile, India’s batting great Sachin Tendulkar revealed an honest conversation that he had with Yuvraj Singh, on the eve of the World Cup 2011 opening match against Bangladesh that inspired Yuvi’s comeback in the tournament. It has to be noted that Yuvraj won the Player of the Tournament award for his performance throughout the World Cup 2011. Sachin revealed:
“I found Yuvi’s energy was really low. At that time, nobody knew that he had that illness. One only realised that after the 2011 World Cup. Before that, I felt his energy levels were low, so I called him to my room on the even of our first match. I said, ‘Yuvi, chalo ham dinner karte hain’,”
He added: “We started chatting and just before leaving my room, I told him, ‘From tomorrow, I’m going to send goals for you and they start from your fielding. You were a really athletic fielder and I find your energy levels have dropped a bit. From tomorrow, our practice sessions will be different.
I expect you to push little harder. If you want, we will work together and I will give my honest feedback. I can guarantee you that your graph will slowly but surely go upwards, and at the crunch moment, you will matter when it matters, Yuvi. Keep working hard, that process is important. Peaking at the right time is important’,”
Further, Tendulkar hailed Yuvraj Singh for making a comeback at the right time and for bringing smiles to a billion faces. He said:
“That was exactly what Yuvi did. He peaked at the right time. He ended up becoming the man of the tournament, and brought smile to a billion of faces,”
Yuvraj Singh was on the non-striker’s end when MS Dhoni smashed the iconic six in the final match against Sri Lanka at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. A few months after the iconic World Cup win, it emerged that Yuvraj was battling cancer during the tournament. The star all-rounder was diagnosed with the disease in the months after the tournament and went to the United States of America (USA) for treatment in early 2012. But that wasn’t the end of his cricketing career as the World Cup hero inspired millions of people by making a strong comeback ahead of the 2012 T20 World Cup.
