‘I wasn’t feeling respected,’ Yuvraj Singh reveals retirement reason:Former cricketer says ‘he didn’t receive support and it hurt him’

India’s former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has revealed the real reason behind his retirement from cricket in June 2019. During a conversation on a podcast with tennis star Sania Mirza, Yuvraj said that at that time, he was neither finding joy in the game nor receiving the respect he deserved from the team management and environment. The 44-year-old Yuvraj said on the podcast ‘Serving it Up with Sania’: I was not enjoying my game. I had a feeling that, “Why am I playing cricket when I am not enjoying it?” I was not feeling supported. I was not feeling respected. Not being selected for World Cup 2019 became a turning point Yuvraj retired from both international cricket and the Indian Premier League when he was not selected for the Indian team for the 2019 ODI World Cup. There was discussion about the number-4 slot in the team, and Yuvraj had hoped based on his experience, but after not being selected, he announced his retirement at a press conference in Mumbai. His last season in the IPL was with the Mumbai Indians. However, he didn’t get many opportunities to play matches that season. Yuvraj admitted that when you mentally stop enjoying the game, it becomes even harder to perform on the field. Yuvraj is happy with his decision today Yuvraj Singh clarified that he found mental peace after retirement. He admitted that cricket gave him a lot, but it’s also important to stop at the right time.
Yuvraj said, “Why am I lingering on to something that I’m not enjoying? Why do I need to play? To prove what? I can’t do more than this, mentally or physically, and it was hurting me. The day I stopped, I was myself again.” Navjot Singh Sidhu told his father that Yuvraj had no talent Recalling his early days, Yuvraj said that there was a time when his ability was questioned. In her question to Yuvi, Sania mentioned how Sidhu wrote Yuvraj Singh off by saying, ‘He cannot play. I don’t think he has in him (Bhai ye nahi khel sakta, I don’t think isme hai.’ Responding to the question, Yuvraj said, “Now, when I look back at it, I just think he didn’t have the time to have a proper look at me. He was just being nice to my dad, have a look at me. And then he was playing for India at that time. I was 13, probably 14, at that time. …I don’t take it personally, but my father took it personally.”