Dhoni told me that I wasn’t in selectors’ plans for 2019 World Cup, reveals Yuvraj Singh

08/04/2020

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Yuvraj Singh, who announced his international retirement in June 2019, revealed that it was MS Dhoni who told him that he was not in the selectors’ plans for the 2019 World Cup. Yuvraj was phased out of the Indian set-up by the selectors in 2017, post the tour of Windies which followed CT 2017.

After being left out of the Indian ODI side post the tour of South Africa in 2013, Yuvraj Singh made a remarkable comeback four years later, in 2017, and struck a match-winning 150 in just his second-game back against a strong England side in Cuttack. The knock helped the all-rounder seal a place in the Champions Trophy squad for the 2017 edition, but underwhelming returns in the tournament meant that the selectors started to overlook him post the competition, especially due to him being in the wrong side of his 30s.

Opening up on missing out on selection for the 2019 World Cup, Yuvraj claimed that it was Dhoni who broke it to him that he wasn’t in the selectors’ plans for the global extravaganza. Yuvraj said that Dhoni gave him clarity and also thanked skipper Virat Kohli for backing him at the time of his comeback.

“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 about the 2019 World Cup that selectors are not looking at you,” Yuvraj told News18.

“He showed me the real picture. He gave me clarity. He did as much as he could.”

After being named the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj was, unfortunately, diagnosed with cancer and the subsequent recovery from the same not only had an adverse effect on the all-rounder’s ability to perform, but also took a few years out of his career. The 38-year-old missed out on selection for the 2015 World Cup and reflecting on the omission, Yuvraj admitted that things had changed in Indian cricket post 2011. He did, however, admit that it was wrong to hold Dhoni at fault for his non-selection.

“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. 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.”

After making his debut in 2000, Yuvraj called time on his glorious career in June 2019, at the time of the World Cup.