Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir spoke about Yuvraj Singh’s career. He said his former teammate should have played most of the Tests and, if he had, his numbers would have been the same as in the white-ball career.
Yuvraj Singh was arguably one of the greatest all-rounders the game of cricket has ever seen. He was one of the main reasons why India won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he was Man of the Tournament, because of his stupendous efforts with bat and ball.
Yuvraj Singh was termed as a white-ball giant as he was one of the main reasons behind the Indian team’s dominance in the white-ball format. He was touted as one of the biggest match-winners for India in T20Is and ODIs, but somehow failed to replicate the same in Tests.
This is a big surprise because Yuvraj Singh had incredible numbers in the FC. He scored 8965 runs at an average of 44.16. However, his numbers on the international stage in the red ball were not as good as he would have liked, especially considering his success in the white ball.
Yuvraj Singh played only 40 matches and scored 1900 runs at an average of 33.92. But the presence of players like VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar batting in the middle in Tests meant that he could not make a consistent run in the longest format of the game.
Gautam Gambhir believes Yuvraj Singh could have proven to be an important player for India in Tests and it was surprising that he couldn’t. Speaking to Sportskeeda, he explained:
“He scored a triple century in the Cooch Behar final against Bihar and after that, I had no doubt that Yuvraj Singh will play international cricket. I was not the least bit surprised with what he achieved at the international level.
“The only surprising thing is the fact that I think he should have played more Test cricket. If he had played more Tests, his record would have improved and would have been similar to his white-ball numbers.”
I remember how Yuvraj Singh struggled with his health in the 2011 World Cup – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further highlighted what Yuvraj Singh went through with his health issues in the 2011 World Cup. He noted that even after the health issues, the all-rounder gave his all for the team. He added:
“I remember how Yuvraj Singh struggled with his health in the 2011 World Cup, and the best part is that he didn’t let anyone know. This shows how much it matters when you play for India. I have played against Yuvraj in the U. -19, even then, his quality and skill levels were incredible.”
Yuvraj was suffering from breast cancer during the ICC Cricket World 2011. However, he did not give up and gave his best despite struggling and helped the team win the World Cup after 28 years when India beat Sri Lanka in the final in Wankhede. Stadium in Bombay.
