The way the BCCI managed me towards the end of my career was very unprofessional: Yuvraj Singh
Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has opened up about the end of his international career and stated that while certain factors were not in his control, he would have enjoyed being treated with a little more respect. In an exclusive interview with Indranil Basu and Shanivi Sadana on Sportskeeda's new 'Free Hit' show, Yuvraj Singh candidly touched upon his retirement from the sport.
When asked if a legend like him deserved a farewell from the board, the 38-year-old said that it wasn't up to him.
"First of all, I don't think I'm a legend. I've played the game with integrity but I didn't play much Test cricket. Legendary players are those who have good Test records. For giving somebody a farewell, that's not for me to decide, that's for BCCI to decide," said Yuvraj Singh.
The Punjab man went on to state that he was not the only one on the receiving end of such treatment, and named the likes of Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag, who didn't exactly finish their international careers on a high.
"I just felt that the way they managed me towards the end of my career was very unprofessional. But looking back at a couple of great players like Harbhajan, Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, also very badly mis-managed. So it is part of Indian cricket, I had seen it in the past and I was not really surprised," he added.
'Sehwag was the biggest Test match-winner after Gavaskar' - Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh further named Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman, who didn't get farewell matches despite playing massive roles in India's most famous triumphs over the years. The southpaw claimed that such respected players must be honoured for their service to the country.
"But in the future, anybody who has played for India for a long time and has been through tough situations, you should definitely honour him. Give him that respect, somebody like Gautam Gambhir, who has won two World Cups for us. Sehwag, who has been the biggest match-winner after Sunil Gavaskar in Tests. VVS, Zaheer, also," said Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj Singh played 40 Tests and 304 ODIs for India, and scored over 10,000 runs across the two formats. The flamboyant southpaw played a central role in India's T20 World Cup win in 2007 and ODI World Cup triumph at home in 2011.