'Would have wanted more opportunities to play Test cricket': Yuvraj Singh opens up on his only regret in career

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has opened up about his only regret in his cricketing career saying that he would have liked to play more Test cricket. Yuvraj, who is considered to be one of the finest white-ball cricketers in the history of the sports, announced his retirement from international cricket in June 2019. [caption id=“attachment_8644941” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Yuvraj Singh. AFP[/caption] In an interview with Times Now, the former cricketer said that he would have liked more opportunities in Tests but also added that in those days it was difficult to get a spot amidst legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, and others. Furthermore, unlike players today, they used to get just one or two opportunities to play Test cricket. “When I look back I feel that I would have wanted more opportunities to play Test cricket,” Yuvraj said. “In those days, it was difficult to get a spot amidst star players like Sachin, Rahul, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Sourav - who started opening. Landing a spot in the middle-order was difficult. Moreover, compared to today’s generation who get to play ten-plus Test matches, we used to get one or two opportunities. My opportunity came when Sourav retired, but unfortunately, I was diagnosed with cancer and my life took a different turn. Nevertheless, I am happy with my journey and extremely proud to have played for my country,” he added. Yuvraj also said that from his early days to the 2011 cricket world cup to battling cancer and returning to the field, his career and personal life have witnessed a number of milestones. And these experiences have made him the person he is today. Yuvraj added he is grateful to his family, friends, colleagues and fans for supporting and motivating him in every step. He added that he played cricket with the utmost integrity and honesty throughout and in return, he only expected “upfront honesty”. “There were times that I felt a lack of support from the team management, and as a professional, I would have appreciated it if they were crystal clear in their communication,” he said. Yuvraj sprung into the limelight in just his second match when he hit 84 runs against Australia in the 2000 ICC Knockout tournament. He played a pivotal role in the famous 2002 Natwest series final win over England at Lord’s. He also played some memorable innings during India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning campaign including the one against England in which he smashed Stuart Broad for six sixes. The biggest highlight of his career though was his performance in the 2011 World Cup where he played a crucial role in helping India win the trophy and earned the Man of the Series award. The former Indian all-rounder had recently spoken about his international retirement and said that he hoped that BCCI would have recognised and honoured him for his contribution to the game. Yuvraj Singh played 40 Tests matches, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is for India, scoring over 10,000 runs across three formats.