"I Couldn't Hit The Ball": Yuvraj Singh Breaks His Silence On How Lack Of Support Affected His Confidence During 2014 T20WC Final

Yuvraj Singh has been one of the greatest white ball cricketers for India. He was instrumental in India’s World Cup victory in 2011 and the T20 World Cup win in 2007.

He was declared the Player of the Tournament for the 2011 WC. But as much as Yuvraj is known for his exploits in these two WC victories, he was massively criticised for his innings in the 2014 T20 World Cup final.

India dominated the whole tournament as they had reached the finals without dropping a game, they were clear favourites to win the tournament, but a below-par performance from the batters, except for Virat Kohli meant India ended up with a below-par total of 130 runs on the board.

Yuvraj could contribute only 11 runs off 21 balls and be heavily trolled for his knock. Now after 8 years he has opened up about the final and has revealed in an interview that he wasn’t secured enough in the final.

“Not All The Players Get The Backing They Deserve”: Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh wasn’t in great touch in the tournament, but he had scored a 50 against Australia in India’s last league game of the tournament. It was hoped that he had gained form but in the final, he couldn’t get going at all.

“During the T20 World Cup in 2014, I was very low on confidence. There was an atmosphere where I could get dropped. It’s not an excuse but I wasn’t getting enough support from the team. From the time of Gary, I was in Duncan’s era and things had completely changed in the team”, he told Sports 18.

“When the final came, I just couldn’t hit the ball. I tried to hit the off-spinner and I couldn’t hit it and it went for dots. I tried to get out, but I didn’t get out….Everybody thought my career was over after that. I also thought my career was over. But that’s life. You have to accept that. If you accept glories, you must accept your defeats as well and you must move forward.”

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,” he added.

Yuvraj seemed upset not only because he wasn’t backed, but he also seemed upset about the fact that players like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir too were not backed in their tough times.

Yuvraj Singh played for India in the 2016 T20 WC, and also in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Also Read: David Warner Would Just Look To Hit Every Ball During First Three Years Of IPL – Virender Sehwag