Yuvraj Singh recently announced his retirement at a press conference in Mumbai from all forms of cricket. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest Indian match-winners of all times in the limited-overs format, his announcement touched many hearts and sent the social media into a frenzy.
Yuvi fans even demanded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a farewell match. And the same feelings were reciprocated by the current vice-captain of the Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma through a tweet.
You don’t know what you got till its gone. Love you brotherman You deserved a better send off. @YUVSTRONG12 pic.twitter.com/PC2cR5jtLl
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) June 10, 2019
Rohit Sharma Says Yuvi Deserved A Fitting Farewell
The Indian opening batsman Sharma said that the all-rounder and left-handed batsman deserved a fitting farewell for his illustrious career. The hero of World T20 and World Cup Success in 2007 and 2011 called time on his international career without getting to play the much-deserved farewell match. Yuvraj has been out of team India since June 2017.
In his stellar 17 years of service to the country, the southpaw played 40 tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is for the nation. Incidentally, the seventh highest run-maker from India in the ODIs is one of the few great Indian cricket players like Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir who did not get a farewell game.
After announcing retirement Yuvraj Singh revealed that the BCCI promised him a farewell game on the condition that he should fail the Yo-Yo fitness test. But since he passed the test, the farewell match never happened. Yuvi said, “I was told… If you cannot pass the Yo-Yo test, then you could play a retirement match. I said I do not want a retirement match and if I do not pass the Yo-Yo test, I would go home. I passed the Yo-Yo test and the rest is not my call.”
He further added, “In life now, I will have a lot of time to discuss these things and I will have a lot to say. I am not saying anything right now because India is playing the World Cup and I don’t want any controversies around the players. I want the players to be in the best space to go into the last four.”
Yuvi said, “I am sure my time will come to speak and I don’t want to be in that space where I have retired at the World Cup time… I have retired because I want to move on with my life and I am sure my time will come to talk about these things.”
Saurav Ganguly Has A Different Opinion On Farewell Match
The ex-Indian Skipper Saurav Ganguly, however, has an entirely different opinion on getting a farewell match for Yuvi or for that matter to any cricketer. Ganguly said, “I don’t think so [deserves a retirement match]. I don’t believe in these retirement matches. If it falls in the course of your continuation as a player… of you being a part of the team… part of a normal system of Test or ODI… then fine.”
However, ‘Dada’ was all appreciative about Yuvraj and said, “Whatever he has achieved as a player will not go down if he doesn’t get a farewell match. I don’t believe in it. He’s been a terrific player… a match winner. He should be very proud of what he has achieved.”
While remembering fond memories of Yuvi Ganguly said, “I have many, many fond memories of Yuvraj Singh. He started under my captaincy. We went to Australia and he was the Man of the Match on debut. We beat the best team of our generation in a Champions Trophy quarter-final. But my best memory of Yuvraj would be the six sixes in the World T20 in England.”
According to the left-handed opening batsman who partnered with the likes of Sehwag and Tendulkar “It’s not about the sixes but to hit 6 sixes in an overs against an outstanding fast bowler in Stuart Broad. And then Man of the Match in the 2011 World Cup, those memories will always remain. He was an out-and-out match-winner.”
