Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh claims that he wasn’t given ample chances to get back in form during the final years of his international career.
MS Dhoni had so much support – Yuvraj Singh
Talking about his struggles and form, Yuvraj asserted that many ex-players didn’t get the same backing during the end of their respective cricket careers, unlike MS Dhoni.
Speaking on ‘Home of Heroes’ show, Yuvraj said that thanks to the backing of the coach and captain, Dhoni went on to play 350 ODIs and even played 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 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.
Yuvraj had to face severe backlash from fans and cricket pundits for his 21-ball 11 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 T20 World Cup final, in which India ended up as the losing side.
Yuvraj gave examples of Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and VVS Laxman to and mentioned that when a player’s place is in danger all the time, it is difficult to perform at the top level.
“There have been great players like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir who didn’t get that (support). When you are batting out there and you know that the axe is hanging on your head how will you concentrate and bat and give your best. It is not an excuse but with different coaches and after 2011 times are very different,” he said.
