'I Couldn't Read Muttiah Muralitharan At All, I Asked Sachin, 'How To Counter Him?': Yuvraj Singh Remembers Sachin Tendulkar's Advice
Published - 30 Apr 2022, 01:46 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:06 AM
Yuvraj Singh remembered Sachin Tendulkar’s key guidance after facing Muttiah Muralitharan and struggling.
The veteran batsman was instrumental in the team’s victory at the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup four years later.
Yuvraj became commonly acknowledged as one of the greatest all-rounders in the world during his time as an international player and possessed a wide range of shots, including the sweep.
However, the former Lefthander has now said that he had figured out how to play facing fast bowlers throughout his childhood, but that he was lost when faced with the brilliance of Muttiah Muralitharan.
“I traveled to Sharjah, Sri Lanka, and Muttiah Muralitharan was in there.” I was a competent spin bowler, but competing against world-class spinners was an entirely separate experience. “You’re a young man learning how to play, and I couldn’t read him at all,” Yuvraj told Sports18 during an interview.
To tackle Muttiah Muralitharan, Sachin advised me to practice sweep shots: Yuvraj
The former India cricketer then claimed that the sweep shot was suggested by batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
“I talked to Sachin about how to counter that kind of guy as well as how to bowl spin.” He advised me to practice sweep shots. “I got out a few occasions attempting to play these kinds of strokes at first, but then I started winning the spinners,” Yuvraj explained.
In 2019, the left-handed hitter finished an illustrious international career with 8,701 runs in 304 One-Day Internationals and 1,177 runs in 58 Twenty-20 Internationals. In the fifty-over format, he grabbed 111 wickets and added 29 T20I dismissals to his tally. He also played 40 Tests for India.