Yuvraj Singh recalls an incident of the 2011 World Cup

The former cricketer recounts a never-heard-before incident from the 2011 World Cup, discussing the immense pressure on India and more.

Yuvraj Singh recently spoke about a never-heard-before tale that happened during the 2011 World Cup, highlighting the pressure on India, following the defeat against South Africa. The former India all-rounder shared his experiences from the time India won by beating Sri Lanka in the final.

Yuvraj Singh recalls a tale from the 2011 World Cup.

Ahead of the Women’s World Cup to be played in September-November this year in India and Sri Lanka, Yuvraj Singh had a special message for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side as he advised them to block the outside noise and unlock their full potential. He revealed that there was immense pressure on MS Dhoni and the team after India faced defeat against South Africa in the group stage in Nagpur. At an event in Mumbai, he said, “I will give you an example of what we felt at that time. Until then, no country had won the World Cup at home, and it had been 28 years since we won a World Cup. I remember we tied the game against England and we lost to South Africa, from a winning position. We got a lot of backlash.”

“Cut the noise and try to do what you need to do.”

Yuvraj Singh further said, “I remember Sachin Tendulkar and coach Gary Kirsten coming and having a chat with us, ‘From here on what are the things we need to do to win the tournament, no one is going to watch TV; no one is going to read the newspaper; when you walk towards the ground put your headphones on, to focus on the field. While going back to your room, put your headphones back on. Cut the noise and try to do what you need to do to win the tournament.”

Yuvraj has advised India’s women’s cricket team to stay in the moment and focus on the task at hand. He said, “It’s about ‘being in the moment, and let’s try to do this as a team’. We did that and it worked. I am not saying it is going to work for you as well. I am just saying that the team has to focus on something which makes everyone believe that ‘if we do this, it might work for us.” He added, “Every time you walk into a game, you have to believe you want to win the game for your country. If Smriti gets out, then Harman has to say I am going to shine, if Harman gets out then she should believe that Jemimah is there. You have got to believe as a team, every time I walk out to bowl or bat I am the person who is going to make the difference. If all 11 believe that, then the results will follow.”