Yuvraj Singh Trained For Months To Win The 2011 World Cup For India: Paddy Upton

India’s former mental health trainer, Paddy Upton has heaped a lot of praise on Yuvraj Singh for his preparations for the 2011 World Cup. India went on to win its second-ever world cup in the year 2011 by beating Sri Lanka in the final. Yuvraj Singh was adjudged the Man of the Tournament for his incredible stint with the bat and ball.

Later, Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer, and he revealed that he was struggling behind the scenes while battling it throughout the world cup. It takes a lot of grit and determination for a player who had cancer, to play cricket at the highest standards. But if any player in the world could do it, it was Yuvraj Singh because of the fighting spirit he has in him.

Yuvraj won games after games for India along with combating cancer and he revealed a few days ago that his knock against Australia in the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup would forever be the toughest knock he played under pressure.

One of India’s coaching staff during the world cup, Paddy Upton, has now shed light on Yuvraj Singh’s preparations going into the tournament.

Yuvraj Singh Was Ready To Win The World Cup: Paddy Upton

“Yuvraj had been dropped from the Test team about six months out from the World Cup. To his credit, instead of sulking about this, he focused on really working on his fitness and preparation for the World Cup When he arrived at the World Cup, he was ready for it, physically, technically and especially mentally,” Paddy said.

“He had spent literally every day for months imagining himself hitting the winning runs to win the World Cup for India. I think the fact that he was mentally so well prepared and focused, helped him stay in-tune with that goal, and not get distracted by his ailing health. The mind is able to overrule the body, which Yuvi displayed beautifully through his man-of-the-tournament performances,” Paddy added.

India Had A Stellar Run In The 2011 World Cup

Team India was magnificent throughout the 2011 World Cup. They had the pressure more than ever as everybody knew it would be the last world cup for some of the great personalities of the team. India lost only one game in the tournament in a match against South Africa.

The final was nothing short of a nail-biting finish. Sri Lanka posted a giant total of 274 runs on the scoreboard batting first. India lost Sachin and Sehwag early in the final, but a batting masterclass from Gautam Gambhir and Indian captain MS Dhoni sealed the victory for the Men in Blue, making them the first team ever to win the world cup on home soil.

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