MS Dhoni told me that am not in selectors' plans for 2019 World Cup: Yuvraj Singh
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh gave credit to MS Dhoni for helping him get a clear picture of what the future held for him as far as his international career was concerned.
Yuvraj Singh made a roaring comeback to the Indian team just before the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy by hitting a career-best 150 against England in the three-match ODI series.
Yuvraj Singh also won the Man-of-the-Match award against Pakistan in India's opening game of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. But his form later tapered off and in no time, he found himself out of India's limited-overs squad.
While he thanked Indian skipper Virat Kohli for showing faith in him and helping him make a comeback, Yuvraj Singh revealed that it was MS Dhoni who helped him realize that the selectors were not looking for him as an option for the 2019 World Cup.
“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 SIngh told News18.
“He showed me the real picture. He gave me clarity. Jitna unse ho saka unhone kiya (He did as much as he could),” Yuvraj Singh further added.
Till the 2011 World Cup, MS Dhoni had a lot of confidence in me: Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was down the pecking order as far as India's middle order for the 2019 World Cup was concerned. But his absence from India's 2015 World Cup squad came as a shock to many as he was in sensational form in domestic cricket in the lead-up to that tournament.
But Yuvraj Singh put all the speculations about a rift between him and MS Dhoni to rest by saying that he understood that in the end it was a personal decision and that it was important for the captain to see first how the country performed.
“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," Yuvraj Singh said.
"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 Singh further added.
Although Yuvraj Singh did not have the best of endings to his career, nothing would change the fact that he was an important part of India's 2007 T20 World Cup win and 2011 World Cup win. Yuvraj Singh will remain as one of the finest white-ball all-rounders produced by India.