I would have wanted more opportunities in Test cricket – Yuvraj Singh

Every aspiring cricketer always wants to be a good Test player. Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game and every player wants to do well in the red-ball version. India’s former talisman batsman Yuvraj Singh also had similar dreams and if there was one box that he could not tick in his career – it was the Test format.

The southpaw batsman could only play 40 Test matches in his career and scored 1900 runs at an average of 33.93, including three centuries and 11 fifties. 

In fact, Yuvraj understands that it was not easy to break into the India’s middle order which had batsmen like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. All these batters were consistent performers and it was not easy for a rookie batsman to make a place for himself.

Yuvraj received his opportunities when Sourav Ganguly decided to retire from the Test fold back in 2008. However, Yuvraj was soon diagnosed with cancer after the 2011 World Cup when he was at the peak of his career, as he scored 362 runs and scalped 15 wickets in the ODI showpiece.

It wasn’t the same when Yuvraj came back after winning the battle against cancer and played his last Test match in 2012 against England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The left-hander scored 43 runs in the match and could never play in the Test format.

“When I look back I feel that I would have wanted more opportunities to play Test cricket. In those days, it was difficult to get a spot amidst star players like Sachin, Rahul, Virendra, VVS Laxman, Sourav – who started opening,” he said while talking to Times Now.

“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,” Yuvraj added.

Yuvraj Singh had an illustrious limited-overs career but he could not cement his place in the Test side. The Punjab batsman scored 8701 runs in 304 ODI matches at an average of 36.56 and scored 1177 runs in 58 T20I at 28.02. Yuvraj was known as a big-match player and he used to be at his best in the big tournaments. 

The left-hander also did a fine job as off-spinner as he scalped 111 wickets in ODI format. Meanwhile, Yuvraj has shown interest in playing in foreign T20 leagues in the recent past. The left-hander also played in Global T20 Canada league and T10 league after calling it a day from International cricket.