Former India batsman Yuvraj Singh has said that it was Mahendra Singh Dhoni who gave him clarity about selectors’ plans that helped him plan his retirement from international cricket.
In a recent interview with News18, Yuvraj said that Dhoni’s honest feedback in 2019 helped him make the right decision.
Yuvraj, who made his debut for India in 2003, enjoyed a stellar career in international white-ball cricket. The left-hander played a crucial role in India winning the 2007 World T20 and also won the player of the tournament award in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
But in the last few years before announcing his retirement, Yuvraj struggled to find his best consistently and that meant he wasn’t a regular in the Indian team. He made a comeback in 2017 and scored an impressive 150 against England in Cuttack and featured in the ICC Champions Trophy as well, but he was dropped from the team eventually due to inconsistent performances.
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Yuvraj has said that it was current India captain Virat Kohli who supported him greatly when he made his comeback to the team in 2017. The southpaw, who played his last game for India in June 2017, harboured hopes of making it to the 2019 World Cup squad.
But it was Dhoni who offered a clear picture to Yuvraj and told him that the selectors were unlikely to pick him.
“When I made my comeback, Virat Kohli supported me. Had he not backed me then I wouldn’t have made a comeback,” said Yuvraj. “But then it was Dhoni who showed me the correct picture about the 2019 World Cup, that the selectors were not looking at me. He showed me the real picture. He gave me clarity. He did as much as he could.”
Yuvraj also reflected on missing out from India’s 2015 World Cup squad. The 38-year-old said that he understood why Dhoni (who was the India captain at that time) didn’t support his inclusion.
“Till the 2011 World Cup, MS had a lot of confidence in me and used to tell me that ‘you are my main player’,” said Yuvraj.
“But after coming back from illness, the game changed and a lot of changes happened in the team. So as far as the 2015 World Cup is concerned, you can’t really pinpoint at something. So this is a very personal call. So I understood that as a captain sometimes you can’t justify everything because at the end of the day you have to see how the country performs.”
The former India all-rounder also told News18 that he is currently playing the role of a mentor for young Punjab batsmen.
Watch Yuvraj Singh’s interview here: