He might have retired from international cricket last year, but Yuvraj Singh continues to be involved with the game in some way or the other.
Following the retirement, the southpaw plied his trade in overseas tournaments such as Global T20 Canada League, Abu Dhabi T10 League and he recently conducted two long camps at the behest of the Punjab Cricket Association at Mohali’s PCA Stadium.
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Promising talents such as Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh and Anmolpreet Singh trained under his guidance amid the Coronavirus-induced break and they are going into the Indian Premier League (IPL) in better shape than ever.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Abhishek, who was part of India’s triumphant U-19 World Cup campaign in 2018 and will turn out for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming IPL, acknowledged Yuvraj’s support during this tough phase.
“Yuvi paaji has been extraordinary as a mentor. Seeing how he conducts himself, I can easily say he is a superb human being too. He treated us like younger brothers and made us feel at home during the pandemic. Our parents were a bit worried by the surge in cases. But Yuvi paaji came to our rescue as we could stay at his place,” he said.
“He not only worked on our skills and mental strength but also played with us during practice matches. He asked us to play according to different match situations. And when we could not deliver, he showed how to do it. I am going to be in touch with him from the UAE,” added Abhishek, who along with Prabhsimran and Anmolpreet stayed at Yuvraj’s home for nearly two months.
The 22-year-old Anmolpreet was roped in by the defending champions Mumbai Indians last season. However, he is yet to make his IPL debut.
On the other hand, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran was fetched by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 4.80 crore at the IPL auction last season.
While Prabhsimran got only one opportunity in IPL 2019, he is hoping to play more games this year.
“I am looking forward to playing more games this season. And this time, I am raring to go out there and just express myself. I want to make Yuvi paaji proud,” he said. “I was lacking in the confidence department a bit after the season ended. He just told me to forget everything and play my natural aggressive game. He also worked on a lot of technical things.”
Gill, who won the emerging player award in the last IPL, is expected to play a key role for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this time around. His father Lakhwinder, who accompanied his son every day to practice, feels Yuvraj’s mentorship was the need of the hour for Gill and other youngsters.
“It was so good to see him as coach and mentor. Yuvraj created match-like situations like powerplay or death overs every T20 game and these four were charged up to deliver. The camps did wonders. The youngsters have gone to the UAE fully fit and prepared,” Lakhwinder said.
(Inputs from Hindustan Times)
