Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was one of India’s greatest match-winner in white-ball cricket. Man of the Tournament of the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj’s career is written in golden letters in Indian cricket history.
However, that latter phase of his career wasn’t that rosy. After helping India claim the 2011 World Cup glory, Yuvraj Singh was forced to be away from the game for more than a year after being diagnosed with cancer which he defeated.
Yuvraj Singh made a return to the Indian team in 2012 but didn’t enjoy the time as he had before. He was inconsistent with the bat, injury, and fitness issues saw him being dropped in and out of the eleven. He played until the 2017 Champions Trophy and the followed West Indies tour before being dropped altogether.
And while his legacy will remain intact despite the struggles in the last few years of his career, Yuvraj Singh has often expressed displeasure at the lack of faith from the selectors and the team management.
Recently, taking a subtle dig at his former captain, Yuvraj Singh pointed out that MS Dhoni was backed by the Kohli-Shastri management and selectors dare not question Dhoni’s place in the eleven despite the wicket-keeper ageing around 38 by the time he played his last international in the 2019 World Cup.
“Definitely when you have support from the coach and the captain it helps. Look at Mahi (MS Dhoni) towards the end of his career. He had so much support from Virat and Ravi Shastri. They took him to the (2019) World Cup, he played till the end, and went on to play 350 games. I think support is very important but in Indian cricket everybody will not get support,” Yuvraj said on Home of Heroes on Sports18.
Yuvraj Singh opined that not just him but other senior cricketers too – the likes of Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan, and Gambhir – didn’t get support from the management and hence, because of the insecurity, their performances dipped after 2011.
