Gary Kirsten, who coached India to the 2011 World Cup win, recently shared that picking Yuvraj Singh for the squad was actually a close call. The BCCI selectors were pretty divided on whether to include him or not. But Kirsten and captain MS Dhoni really wanted Yuvraj in the team, and thankfully, their opinion won out.
A Tough Call for the Selectors
The selectors had a serious debate about who should make the final 15-player squad for the World Cup. Kirsten said it wasn’t an easy choice, and Yuvraj’s spot wasn’t guaranteed.
He explained, “It was not a slam-dunk selection. The selectors kind of debated around the 15 players.” Both he and Dhoni were very clear that Yuvraj’s experience was too valuable to miss out on.
Yuvraj’s Amazing World Cup Performance
Yuvraj completely justified their faith in him. He became the Player of the Tournament and played a huge role in ending India’s 28-year wait for the World Cup.
He scored 362 runs in just eight innings, averaging over 90, and took 15 wickets with his handy spin bowling. Some of his standout moments were three back-to-back fifties in the group stage, a crucial 50 against Australia in the quarters, and a brilliant hundred against the West Indies.
Fighting Cancer Without Anyone Knowing
What makes Yuvraj’s World Cup heroics even more incredible is that he was secretly battling cancer at the time. This was only found out after the tournament ended.
Kirsten said, “Thank goodness we picked him because it was flipping close, he was.” Yuvraj’s grit and determination touched everyone and helped spark a new cricket fever in India.
Kirsten’s Friendship with Yuvraj and Team Prep
Kirsten also talked about how close he was with Yuvraj during that time. “I was always very fond of Yuvraj. We had this kind of great relationship where like, he used to frustrate the hell out of me sometimes, but I just loved him.”
He gave credit to the team’s mental coach Paddy Upton, who worked a lot with Yuvraj to get him ready for the big event. “Paddy did a lot of work with Yuvi to get him ready for that World Cup. Yuvi himself made some key decisions around getting himself prepared and ready for the World Cup.”
Kirsten added, “I just want him to be scoring runs all the time because when I watch him bat, it’s just like amazing to watch.”
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