Yuvraj Singh Defines Role Of Senior Players In Team

Yuvraj Singh has time and again said that during his playing days there were enough senior players to groom the young talents but unfortunately that is not the case with the current India team. Yuvraj Singh was firmly backed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly and he shared the dressing room with some the finest cricketers including the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

Defining the importance of senior player, the former all-rounder said, youngsters can learn a lot just by looking at them and observing, like he did during his time. He also said that he was inspired by his seniors, not just about the skills, but also the way a sportsman should carry himself. He also mentioned that seniors help younger players channelize their energy in the right way and built discipline into their lives.

“Like I said earlier, a lot of our learning was while playing on the field and observing our seniors and colleagues at that point in time. I was inspired by so many of my seniors on the team and it wasn’t just about picking skills but also the way a sportsman should carry himself,” Yuvraj Singh told Times Now.

“Senior players have helped younger players channelize their energy in the right way and built discipline into their lives. One can learn the nitty-gritty of playing cricket professionally from a coach and academy, but experienced players have the opportunity to mould youngsters into personalities who can represent the country. There is a lot of pressure on you, everyone is watching you keenly and on top of that the fame is starting to slowly walk towards you, this can be daunting for a young cricketer.

“Experienced players know how to balance it and stay focused on the game. They can teach youngsters to be self-confident and not let everyone’s perception of them lead them astray.”

Yuvraj Singh was instrumental for India in the 2007 T20 World Cup and who can forget his all-round role in 2011 World Cup for which he was named the man-of-the-series. He was once the poster boy of Indian cricket team and brought down the curtains on his career spanning nearly 19 years and 400 matches.

After his retirement, he plied his trade in the Global T20 Canada League, after obtaining NOC from the cricket board. He had captained the Toronto side and is still eager to play in T20 leagues across the globe.