Published 10:24 IST, April 1st 2020
Yuvraj Singh rates Sourav Ganguly better than MS Dhoni in captaincy and here is why
Yuvraj Singh debuted in Team India as a 19-year-old in 2000. He went on to play 304 ODIs for India until his final match in 2017. He scored 8701 runs.
Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh may have retired from international cricket, but continues to have an impressive fan following. During his time from the early 2000s, Yuvraj made a name for himself courtesy his relentless hard-hitting capabilities and fielding alike. With the ball too, Singh proved to be fairly effective in the latter part of his career and this turned him into a limited-overs asset for India. Yuvraj Singh helped India win the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 before he became the Player of the Tournament in India's 2011 World Cup-winning campaign.
Yuvraj Singh rates Sourav Ganguly ahead of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in captaincy
In an interview with a leading Indian media publication, Yuvraj Singh started off by urging people to be united during a lean phase that the world is going through courtesy the coronavirus pandemic. Eventually, the conversation drifted towards cricket and Singh opened up on some observations he made in his illustrious career. A 19-year-old Yuvraj Singh had made his international debut for India on October 3, 2000, playing against Kenya under the current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly's captaincy. Through his career that lasted almost two decades, Singh was then captained by greats like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. When asked about who was his favourite captain, Singh picked Sourav Ganguly.
The reason that the Punjab all-rounder gave for the same was that the support that Sourav Ganguly gave him was unparalleled when compared to the other two. While Singh also said that it was hard to pick between Ganguly and Dhoni, he eventually picked the former due to the support he received. Perhaps, Ganguly's leadership could also be special to Yuvraj Singh as he may have provided the flashy all-rounder with some wise counsel as he became a mainstay in the playing XI. Yuvraj's respect for Ganguly has been well-documented in the past as he reportedly was once quoted as saying "I would die for a captain like him (Ganguly)".
MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh also have an impressive record together as the duo won India two World Cups. Even 2011's World Cup winning moment had Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni together at the crease.
While the coronavirus pandemic has made IPL 2020's fate highly questionable, this will be the first season where Yuvraj Singh will not be playing the tournament. One of the biggest earners of the IPL, Singh announced his retirement after a championship-winning season with the Mumbai Indians. He has played for Kings XI Punjab, Pune Warriors India, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.
Updated 10:24 IST, April 1st 2020