“I Could’ve Played…” - Yuvraj Singh Opens Up About His Biggest Regret

Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh opened up about the biggest regret of his career. He rued playing only 40 Tests in his career and expressed his disappointment, saying that he was 12th man for 45 games.

Yuvraj Singh was one of the generational cricketers that India had produced. A genuine batting all-rounder who chipped in with his overs and provided the team with crucial breakthroughs apart from scoring truckloads of runs.

Yuvraj Singh ended his career as a white-ball giant and was the main reason behind India winning the T20 World Cup 2007 and 2011 World Cup, where he was Man of the Tournament. He played a huge role in making the team a big force and many kids even looked up at him as an idol.

While Yuvraj Singh was a main member of the Indian team in white-ball cricket, he couldn’t become a regular in the Tests despite boosting a good record. The all-rounder had to miss out due to the likes of Test specialists in Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, and others.

Yuvraj Singh admitted that it was tough for him to get into the Test team because of the lack of space in the team. But he mentioned that he gave his 100% for them even while being on the bench. Speaking to the media, he explained (as quoted by PTI):

“The only regret is that I could have played more Tests. I played 40 Tests and I was the 12th man for 45 Tests. It was an era where Virender Sehwag, who was a middle-order batter, and he had to open. There was Dada (Sourav Ganguly) who was the captain, then (VVS) Laxman, (Rahul) Dravid, Sachin (Tendulkar).

“It was very tough to get in. But 1 alway gave my 100 percent as a team man, that’s more important for me. It is something of a very big honour.”

Yuvraj Singh played 40 Tests in his career and scored 1900 runs in those games at an average of around 34. He slammed 11 centuries and 3 tons in his career. Apart from this, he also picked 9 wickets.

It’s all destiny – Yuvraj Singh on not becoming an Indian captain

Yuvraj Singh further was asked if he could have become the captain of the team. Replying to this, he highlighted that during his time players didn’t have a lot of opportunities. He pointed out how in the current era there are three different teams with different captains.

Yuvraj Singh was quick to point out the longevity of Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni as captains and added that he has no regrets about not becoming the captain of the team. He explained:

“Now you see sometimes, 2-3 captains then you like. But you have to accept it. We have three teams now. In those days, we didn’t have those opportunities. Dada, then Mahi was a very good captain. Whoever is destined to become captain becomes captain. It’s all destiny. No regrets.”

Overall in his career, Yuvraj Singh scored 11,778 runs to go with 17 centuries. He was no mug with the ball as he took a total of 148 wickets in all three formats. It’s fair to say that India are still unable to find his replacement and are struggling to get players like him.