“They actually thought I wouldn’t be able to clear the test” - When Yuvraj Singh blamed the Indian team management for forcible retirement

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh had a career of two halves following cancer's intervention at the height of his prowess in 2011. While he had his moments in the latter part of his career, he was unable to maintain consistency.

The legendary player's former teammate Robin Uthappa recently blamed Virat Kohli and the team management for not giving the all-rounder even a little leeway in the final years of his international career. Yuvraj Singh faded away from the scene and played his final match for Team India in 2017, shortly after the Champions Trophy campaign in England.

"When Yuvi requested for that two-point deduction, he didn't get it. Then he did the test because he was outside the team and they weren't taking him in. He passed the fitness test, came inside the team, had a lean tournament, took him out totally. Never entertained him after that," Robin Uthappa said on Lallantop (via The Hindu).

In an interview with Aaj Tak in 2019, Yuvraj Singh recalled how he was ousted from the team, who were looking to phase out the seniors and incorporate youngsters.

“Never thought that I would be dropped after being the man of the match in 2 games out of the 8-9 I played after the Champions Trophy 2017. I got injured and I was told to prepare for the Sri Lanka series. Then suddenly, the yo-yo test came into the picture. It was a u-turn in my selection. Suddenly I had to go back and prepare for the yo-yo test at the age of 36. Even after I cleared the yo-yo test, I was told to play domestic cricket,” Yuvraj said (via The Hindustan Times).

“They actually thought that I wouldn’t be able to clear the test due to my age. And that it would be easy to decline me afterwards... yeah you can say it was an exercise in making excuses,” he added.

Yuvraj Singh was dropped by the selectors ahead of the tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, which signaled the end of his international career.

"No one told me and no one told Virender Sehwag or Zaheer Khan either" - When Yuvraj Singh slammed lack of communication by the management

Yuvraj Singh played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a couple of years after his exclusion from the national team before announcing his international retirement in 2019. Thus, one of the greatest match-winners India produced failed to go out on a high.

In the same interview, the former player added that the management should have done a better job while phasing out the seniors to begin the transition.

“I think it was unfortunate for a guy who has played 15-17 years of international cricket to not being made to sit down and being talked to. No one told me and no one told Virender Sehwag or Zaheer Khan either. Whichever player it is, the person who is in-charge should sit down and talk with the player that we are looking at the youngsters and we’ve taken this step," Yuvraj Singh added.

The former all-rounder participated in the World Championship of Legends in July 2024, where he led the Indian contingent to the final.