Sourav Ganguly’s support was unparalleled to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's, admits Yuvraj Singh
On Tuesday, Yuvraj Singh has revealed that he did not receive as much support from MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s time as captain as he did during Sourav Ganguly’s reign in Indian cricket. He also admitted that having too much expectations on youngsters like Rishabh Pant puts them under undue pressure.
Since making his debut as an 18-year-old, Yuvraj Singh took Indian cricket to another level in the limited-overs cricket. Starting with his batting prowess to his bowling, the southpaw was the centre-piece of India’s two World Cup victories. In an interview with the Sportstar, Yuvraj looked back at his career with the Indian team.
He has opened up by revealing that the support that he got during Sourav Ganguly’s time as captain was unparalleled. The 38-year-old made his Indian debut under the captaincy of Ganguly. Incidentally, he also gave Ganguly his first series win against England in England during the 2002 Natwest series, with a vital knock in the final.
“I have played under Sourav (Ganguly) and had a lot of support from him. Then Mahi (MS Dhoni) took over. It’s a difficult choice to make between Sourav and Mahi. I have more memories of time under Sourav because of the support he gave me. I didn’t have that kind of support from Mahi and Virat (Kohli),” he told Sportstar.
Yuvraj also talked about what will help Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw get settled in the national team. While Pant had an average outing against New Zealand earlier this year, Shaw’s series was nothing short of terrible. Pant finished the series with 60 runs under his belt while Shaw did relatively better scoring 98 through the series. The southpaw revealed that the duo needs a little bit of time and support from the Indian fans for them to start performing.
“They play under a lot of pressure. I keep speaking to Rishabh. Prithvi is a great talent. But there are too many expectations from them. A lot of noise when they fail. Too much of scrutiny. I think we need to give them some time because they are the future. Coaches and seniors have to be in touch with them constantly and tell them there are certain things they can’t do on and off the field. They really need guidance because they are at a fragile stage,” he concluded.