Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh will go down as one of the best cricketers produced by India. The southpaw served his national team for over 15 years and guided his side to several memorable victories. In fact, India’s triumph in the 2011 World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup might not have been possible without the efforts of the talismanic cricketer. However, one match which he will not want to remember is the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 final against Sri Lanka. Batting at number four, the scored 11 runs off 21 deliveries which proved to be critical as India lost the game by six wickets. After more than six years, Yuvraj opened up about his dismal performance and revealed how miserably he was treated after the game. Yuvraj Singh Says He Didn’t Get Chance to Play for One IPL Team for 3-4 Years Like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli.
Many cricketers and pundits lashed out at the left-handed batsman and blamed him for India’s loss in the marquee event final. In fact, Yuvraj also took full responsibility for India’s defeat. However, he revealed that he felt like a ‘Villain’ when he came back to India as stones were thrown at his house.
“I always take full responsibility (for that inning). I did not play well. Unfortunately, that was a World Cup final. If it was any other game, scrutiny would not have been much. When I got back home, I felt like I was a villain. I remember getting out from the airport and luckily I had my headphones on...I got attacked by the media and they were literally shouting at me,” said Yuvraj Singh on Sportscreen’s YouTube page. Yuvraj Singh Backs Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul to Break His Fastest T20I Fifty Record.
“Yes there were some stones in my house as well. I felt like a culprit, like somebody has shot somebody and was going to jail. I bounced back from it. I still remember how I felt in that moment,” he added.
The two-time World Cup winner also said that he thought his career was over after that game. “I remember Sachin (Tendulkar) tweeting that day and people actually understood. I went home and I remember I had the six sixes’ (2007 T20 World Cup against England) bat. I put my India cap on the six sixes bat and I thought my career was over,” said the veteran of 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is.
However, the dasher went on to play for five more years after that and bid adieu to international cricket in 2019. He finished his career with 11686 runs across all three formats of international cricket along with scalping 148 wickets.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2020 10:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).