Yuvraj Singh admits he thought about retirement during his battle with cancer

What’s the story?

Fresh from his match-winning career-best ODI score, Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh admitted that he thought about retiring from cricket during his battle with cancer. The 35-year-old has made a brilliant comeback to the ODI side after being out of it for three years.

“I came back after recovering from cancer, the first 2-3 years were very hard," Yuvraj Singh said in the post-match press conference. "I had to work hard on my fitness and I was in and out of the team. I was not able to get a permanent spot. There was a time when I was wondering whether to continue or not to continue. Never giving up is my theory. I knew time will change.

"I don't think about who's reacting to what nor do I read newspapers. I don't watch TV too. I try to focus on my game and prove a point to myself that I’m still good enough for international cricket.”

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In case you missed it...

Yuvraj Singh recorded his career-best ODI score in the second ODI against England, which India won by 15 runs. His 127-ball 150, which was his first century since the 2011 World Cup where he won Man of the Tournament and his 256-run partnership with MS Dhoni, helped India recover from 25/3 and post 381/6.

The heart of the matter

The 35-year-old hadn’t played an ODI for three years before he made his comeback into the ODI squad for the England series on the back of strong domestic performances and his match-winning 150 was a testament to the selectors’ faith.

Yuvraj Singh also described the century as arguably his best and was quick to heap praise on Dhoni, who also scored a century and was involved in the second-best fourth-wicket partnership in ODI history along with Yuvraj Singh. He admitted that Dhoni was more free today and is happy that giving up captaincy has brought out the best in Dhoni, the batsman.

He also added that as the “most experienced players” in the team, the pair realised that building a partnership was key and they managed just that as they rescued India from 25/3 to a mammoth 381/6 which proved to be a match-winning total.

What’s next?

Having already sealed the series, India will take on England in the third ODI at Kolkata on Sunday (January 22). While Virat Kohli and the Indian middle-order have come to the party so far, India’s openers have struggled and that is something they will have to improve.

With the Champions Trophy being the next ODI assignment after this series, Yuvraj Singh’s comeback will certainly be a welcome relief as India look to defend the crown that they claimed in England in 2013.

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Sportskeeda’s take

While there may have been some questions about whether Yuvraj Singh was the right call ahead of the ODI series against England, his fifty in the warm-up match and century in the second ODI is proof that he is still good enough to represent India.