Former Indian all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh is still the most expensive buy in the history of IPL, but he acknowledged that big money does add pressure to perform but it doesn’t change a player. He continues to be the costliest player in IPL history when he was bought by the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for a whopping ₹16 crores in 2015.
During an Instagram live chat with his former teammate, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj said, “The pressure is felt because of the big (IPL) money. I won’t say it changes a player. Now when you climb the success ladder, people try to drag you down.”
Despite the price tag, Yuvraj went on to score 248 runs from 14 matches in that season. He said that the negative coverage that comes with each failure also affects a player and so he issued a piece of advice to the youngsters that try and keep away from media.
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The 38-year-old played a crucial role in India’s triumphant campaign in the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup. Apart from his batting, he was also known for his sharp fielding at point. However, it wasn’t something that the left-hander was concerned about when growing up.
Yuvraj explained, “I was very athletic. But fielding I did not have too much idea. In the first Ranji match I was playing, I was 15-16 years. I misfielded and next day article came out Yuvraj Singh ‘gateway of India’. My father read that. He said now I will see how you don’t improve your fielding. Then I started getting better and the body also got stronger.”
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Apart from their fielding, Yuvraj and Kaif will always be remembered for their match-winning partnership in the final of the 2002 Natwest Series final against England. The duo added 121 runs between them to push India out of a struggling phase as they successfully chased down 326 with two wickets and three deliveries remaining.
Recalling the same, Yuvi said, “My lesson from that game was that you can’t relax at any time. England had thought they had won the game. You can’t give up. You have to keep trying.”
