Didn’t get Ganguly-like support from Dhoni and Virat, says Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj started his international career under Sourav Ganguly's leadership in 2000.

By Salman Anjum - 01 Apr, 2020

Known for his forthright opinion on many topics, former India batsman Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday (March 31) said that he got more support under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy than MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

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Having made his international debut under Ganguly's leadership back in 2000, Yuvraj also played under the likes of Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Dhoni and Kohli at different junctures in his stellar career.

"I have played under Sourav and had a lot of support from him. Then Mahi 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," he said in an interview to Sportstar.

During his 19-year long career, Yuvraj represented India in 304 ODIs. While the left-hander played 110 games under Ganguly, he played 104 and 11 matches under Dhoni and Kohli respectively.

Yuvraj, who called time on his international cricket career last year, believes the current Indian team needs a "good guy" who can talk to the players about their off-field issues so that their performance on the field improves.

The southpaw also singled out Paddy Upton to play the role. Notably, Upton was the mental health and conditioning coach of Indian cricket team during Gary Kirsten's coaching tenure.

"This Indian team needs a good guy who can talk to them on matters off the field. Their off-the-field issues reflect on their on-field performances. What they need is a psychologist of authority who can guide them in personal issues," Yuvraj said.

"Make them better persons. We had Paddy Upton who would discuss other issues of life, like fear of failure, and it helped us so much. The team probably needs someone like him," he added.

By Salman Anjum - 01 Apr, 2020

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