Wanted more opportunities to play Test cricket: Yuvraj Singh

After making his debut in 2000 under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership, Yuvraj Singh kept garnering one laurel after the other. However, even as he flourished in the ODI and T20I format, he, somewhat, strained to find his feet in Test cricket. In 40 Tests, the southpaw could only manage 1,900 runs at an average of 33.92 with three centuries and 11 fifties to show for his efforts.

Going down the memory lane, the 38-year-old reckons that he wanted to play more in the purest format. But he also admitted that it was tough to break into the team due to the presence of stalwarts like Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and others in the middle order.

“When I look back I feel that I would have wanted more opportunities to play Test cricket. In those days, it was difficult to get a spot amidst star players like Sachin, Rahul, Virender, VVS Laxman, Sourav – who started opening,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying to Times Now.

Landing a spot in the middle-order was difficult: Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj feels that unlike the current generation where players gets a fair amount of time to show their mettle, he and his fellow teammates didn’t get a while lot of chances. Being diagnosed with cancer in 2011 didn’t help Yuvraj’s cause either. Singh played his last Test against England back in 2012 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“Landing a spot in the middle-order was difficult. Moreover, compared to today’s generation who get to play ten-plus Test matches, we used to get one or two opportunities. My opportunity came when Sourav retired, but unfortunately, I was diagnosed with cancer and my life took a different turn,” he stated.

Looking back at his career, the Chandigarh-born feels that he had a roller-coaster ride. In 2017, he last donned the India jersey in the tour of the West Indies after which he hung his boots in 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders India have ever produced.

“Experiences, good or bad, are a part of your learning and growth and I cherish them. Right from my early days to the 2011 World Cup to battling cancer and being back on the field, my career and personal life have seen several milestones and these experiences have made me the person I am today,” Yuvraj added.