Did Virat Kohli end Yuvraj Singh’s career early? Ex-India star’s remarks spark controversy
Yuvraj Singh, renowned for his contributions to Indian cricket, battled cancer post-2011 World Cup. His efforts to return were complicated by Kohli's stringent fitness standards, leading to exclusion from the team, as discussed by former cricketer Robin Uthappa.
Yuvraj is widely regarded as one of the most impactful batsmen India have ever produced. The left-hander played a pivotal role in India winning the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. Yuvraj took the world by storm with his 6 sixes against Stuard Broad in the inaugural T20 World Cup, while he also impressed with his all-round talent during the 2011 mega event.
However, the southpaw's career suffered a major setback after the 2011 World Cup when the young cricketer was diagnosed with stage I lung cancer. Although Yuvraj returned to full fitness the following year, he was left out of the Indian squad for the 2013 Champions Trophy or any other series under MS Dhoni's captaincy.
Things changed a bit for Yuvraj after Virat Kohli took over the reins with inclusion in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the subsequent West Indies series, but low scores in those matches saw the cricketer fall out of favour with the team management at the time.
Now, however, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has made some revealing comments about the role Kohli has played in Yuvraj's career.
Yuvraj Singh's career cut short:
Speaking to Lallantop, Uthappa said, “Take Yuvi Pa’s instance. The man beat cancer, and he is trying to come back into the international side. He is the man who won us a World Cup, won us two World Cups for that matter, along with the other players, but played an integral role in helping us win. Then for such a player, when you become captain, you say his lung capacity has diminished and you have been with him when you have seen him struggle. Nobody has told me this, I observe things. ”
“You have seen him struggle, then when you are captain, yes you have to maintain a level of standard, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Here is a man who deserves to be an exception because he is not just beaten and won you tournaments, but he has beaten cancer. He has beaten the hardest challenge in life in that sense. Some question room for someone like that,” Uthappa added
Uthappa also talked about how Yuvraj was given no leniency in fitness tests despite being such a big match winner. He said, “So when Yuvi requested for that two-point deduction, he didn’t get it. Then he did the test because he was outside the team and they weren’t taking him in. He passed the fitness test, came inside the team, had a lean tournament, took him out totally. Never entertained him after that. Whoever was in the leadership group, didn’t entertain him. That time Virat was the leader and it went according to him due to his strong personality, and that time it was according to him,”
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's captaincy styles:
Calling Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli different kinds of leaders, Uthappa stated that the former is inclusive while the latter is exclusive. He said, "Virat's style of captaincy was different to the extent that you needed to reach his level. Whether it was fitness, whether it was eating habits, whether it was listening, agreeing, all of that had to happen at that standard,"
"There are two different types of leaders. There are leaders who say this is the standard needed and there are leaders who say 'I will meet you there and elevate you to the standards I need you to be at'. Both work and both get the results, but the impact on the personnel will be different. One will value a lot, and the exclusive one will feel let down a lot," the former India cricketer added.
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First Published:10 Jan 2025, 11:52 AM IST
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