Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh has revealed that he stopped enjoying cricket during the final phase of his professional career, to the extent that he began questioning why he was continuing to play.
Widely regarded as one of India’s greatest white-ball cricketers, Yuvraj played a pivotal role in India’s triumphs at the 2007 ICC World T20 and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
His contribution in the 2011 World Cup was particularly iconic, as he won the Player of the Tournament award and helped India become the first team to lift the World Cup on home ground. What made the achievement even more remarkable was the later revelation that Yuvraj had been battling cancer throughout the tournament.
However, as age caught up with him and expectations remained sky-high due to the benchmarks he had set at his peak, criticism began to mount.
Yuvraj felt a lack of support and respect, which ultimately pushed him towards retirement.
“I was not enjoying my game,” Yuvraj told Sania Mirza on her YouTube channel.
“I kept thinking—why am I playing cricket when I’m not enjoying it? I was not feeling supported. I was not feeling respected. The game has given me so much, and I’ve given my best.”
He added, “Why am I lingering on to something I’m not enjoying? To prove what? I couldn’t give more mentally or physically, and it was hurting me. The day I stopped, I felt like myself again.”
Despite becoming a legend of the game, Yuvraj recalled that there was a time when doubts were raised about his talent. Former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu had once written him off when Yuvraj was still a teenager.
Looking back, Yuvraj harbours no bitterness. “I think he didn’t have the time to really look at me. He was probably just being polite to my dad. I was only 13 or 14, still figuring out the sport,” he said.
However, his father Yograj Singh took the remark personally. “He told me, ‘Chal beta, main tujhe batata hoon cricket kaise khelte hain’ (Come, I’ll show you how cricket is played),” Yuvraj recalled.
Yuvraj Singh on why he retired: ‘Talent was doubted, was not feeling supported or respected’
