Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has acknowledged the pivotal role MS Dhoni played in giving him the much-needed clarity on his international career ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
Yuvraj put on a stellar display in ICC Champions League 2017, but thereafter his form dipped gradually, and soon the southpaw fell out of favour with Team India.
“When I made my comeback, Virat Kohli supported me. Had he not backed me then I wouldn’t have made a comeback. But then it was Dhoni who showed me the correct picture on 2019 World Cup and that selectors are not looking at you,” Yuvraj said to News18.
“He showed me the real picture. He gave me clarity. Jitna unse ho saka unhone kiya (He did as much as he could),” the 38-year-old added.
Yuvi’s exclusion in the 2019 World Cup might be justified based on his lousy form since 2017. But, his absence from the 2015 World Cup raised a few pertinent questions over the selection policy.
Yuvraj was in the right frame of mind and consistently put on big shows in domestic cricket. He even scored two consecutive centuries in the build-up to the tournament.
The Chandigarh-lad further revealed that the then Indian skipper Dhoni backed him unconditionally until the 2011 World Cup, but things changed after his illness.
“Till the 2011 World Cup, MS had a lot of confidence in me and used to tell me that ‘you are my main player’. But after coming back from illness the game changed and a lot of changes happened in the team,” stated Yuvraj.
“But after coming back from illness the game changed and a lot of changes happened in the team. So as far as the 2015 World Cup is concerned, you can’t really pinpoint at something. So this is a very personal call.”
“So I understood that as a captain sometimes you can’t justify everything because at the end of the day you have to see how the country performs,” Yuvraj concluded.
