Yuvraj Singh has once again hit out at MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and the team management for the treatment that was meted out towards him at the latter part of his career. Yuvi, who announced his retirement from international cricket in June last year, revealed that Sourav Ganguly – his first captain – supported him more than the latter two. The World Cup-winner had earlier lashed out at the team management for neglecting him and not giving him another chance to prove himself in international circuit despite his contributions to India’s success on most occasions during his playing days. Yuvraj Singh Stands with Shahid Afridi in Fight Against COVID-19 Outbreak, Watch Video.
“I have played under Sourav [Ganguly] and had a lot of support from him. Then Mahi (MS Dhoni) took over,” the former left-handed batsman told Sportstar. It’s a difficult choice to make between Sourav and Mahi. I have more memories of time under Sourav because of the support he gave me. I didn’t have that kind of support from Mahi [MS Dhoni] and Virat [Kohli].”
Yuvraj made his international debut for India at the age of 19 and was nurtured by the captain-coach duo Ganguly and John Wright, who turned many youngsters into legends of Indian cricket. Under Ganguly’s captaincy, Yuvraj went on to become one of the best players of white-ball cricket. The left-handed batsman made 304 ODI appearances for India smashing over 8, 000 runs while also taking 120 wickets.
With 14 centuries and 52 half-centuries, he was one of the best all-rounders and middle-order batsmen of his time. But according to the former cricketer, he failed to pick Muttiah Muralitharan on most occasions. “I really struggled against [Muttiah] Muralitharan. I had no clue against him. Then Sachin [Tendulkar] told me to start sweeping [against Muralitharan] and I was at ease,” he said. “Glenn [McGrath] would trouble me a lot with the away-going delivery. Luckily, I didn’t play much against McGrath because I was sitting out and cheering for the seniors in the Test matches.”
Yuvraj, who was declared the Man of the Tournament in India’s 2011 World Cup success at home also spoke out on the current situation across the globe due to the global coronavirus outbreak. “It’s heartbreaking to see so many people dying all over the world,” said Yuvraj, who made contributions towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic through his foundation.
"I think this has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s heartbreaking to see so many people dying all over the world. It is spreading so fast. People, rather than panicking, should visit the official health sites (WHO and Union Health Ministry) to really understand what the disease is," Yuvraj said when he was asked about the Covid-19 pandemic.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2020 12:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).