Yuvraj Singh Credits Sachin Tendulkar For His Post-Cancer Comeback To International Cricket

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh possibly went through the darkest phase of his life when he was diagnosed with cancer during the 2011 World Cup. While with that life-threatening disease Yuvraj Singh was able to win the World Cup for India, his international career deflated post that. During a chat with Sportskeeda, the all-rounder revealed that having conversations with Sachin Tendulkar helped him come back to the side.

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The illness struck Yuvraj Singh during the match against West Indies. Despite that, the southpaw made a century and took two wickets in a man of the match effort to beat the Caribbeans. He made a match-winning fifty under pressure in the quarter-final against Australia and two matches later India lifted the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. For his 15 wickets and 364 runs, Yuvraj received the man of the tournament award.

When asked if there was struggle with the step down from international to domestic cricket, Yuvraj revealed that Sachin Tendulkar asked him some eye-opening questions. He also considered retiring from the sport during those days.

“There were a few ups and downs. I kept on speaking to Sachin, and he said, ‘Why do we play cricket? Yes, we want to play international but we play for the love of the sport. If you love the game, you want to play,” Yuvraj stated.

The 38-year old disclosed that the Master Blaster told him if he loves the game, he must continue playing. Tendulkar emphasised that the retirement must be entirely your decision and should not be anyone else’s call.

“Sachin said, ‘If I was in the situation, I wouldn’t know what to do but if you love the game, you still play the game and decide when you want to retire. People should not decide that for you,” he added.

“My body was not the same after cancer” : Yuvraj Singh

The Chandigarh-born cricketer added that the conversations with Sachin Tendulkar helped him play domestic cricket and play sporadically for the Indian team. While conceding that he did make a few comebacks, Yuvraj admitted that the body did not allow him to touch the heights he wanted to after cancer.

“So I had some good chats with him and played 3-4 years of domestic cricket. I was in and out of the Indian team, played the T20 World Cup. I made a few comebacks but it was time to move on because my body was not the same after cancer,” the 38-year old concluded.

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