‘I expected Yuvi to join but…’: When Yuvraj Singh did not train with Virat Kohli | Cricket

India have emerged as one of the powerhouse in cricket, having dominated the sport for quite some time now. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are some of the examples, who are currently running the show after being handed the baton from previous superstars. Despite the lack in ICC trophies, which India last won under MS Dhoni’s captaincy back in 2013, the Men In Blue have always been one of the favourites going into the ICC events.

Another big name, who made rich contribution to Indian cricket is Yuvraj Singh. The left-handed batter, who announced his retirement from the sport back in 2019, served India for almost two decades and made significant impact in all three formats. He was also named the player of the tournament in India’s World Cup triumph in 2011 for his all-round contributions.

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Yuvraj’s talent was not just limited to bowl and the bat, but he was also regarded as one of the most agile fielders, especially inside the 30-yard circle. However, in an interesting revelation, former India fielding coach R Sridhar shared an episode when Yuvraj was reluctant to do fielding practice drills with Kohli.

The story dates back to 2016, when the Indian team had traveled to Australia for a limited-over series, consisting five ODIs and three T20Is.

“We were training at the Adelaide Oval in January 2016, the day before the start of the three-match T20I series against Australia. I was putting Virat through the grind and, typically, he held nothing back. Yuvraj Singh walked past me when I had expected him to join in and sat himself down in the dugout, watching us intently. Once Virat had left the field for a few minutes later, Yuvi came across for his practice. He told me, ‘I couldn’t have kept pace with Virat or matched his intensity. I thought it best that I leave you guys to it and once he finished, I can work on my fielding at my own pace.’

“I could see where he was coming from. The next day Yuvi held a blinder at short cover off Hardik Pandya to get rid of Chris Lynn. There is something to say for practicing at one’s own pace, I guess,” the ex-India coach noted in his book titled “COACHING BEYOND: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team”.

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India didn’t have a superb outing in the 50-over format, losing the five-match series 4-1. However, the Men In Blue produced a superb show in the shorter format and completed a whitewash over the hosts.

The rivalry between the two sides will once again take the centerstage as Australia are currently touring India for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which gets underway from February 9 in Nagpur.