I am not happy with my career right now - Yuvraj Singh

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Yuvraj Singh desperately wants to play Test cricket. But he knows he doesn't have much time to establish himself. More... I am not happy with my career right now TNN / Bobilli Vijay Kumar Yuvraj Singh desperately wants to play Test cricket. But he knows he doesn't have much time to establish himself. In a wide-ranging interview, he talks about life on the field, and off it. Q: Could life have been any different for Yuvraj Singh? Ans: I doubt it. For me, my whole life is, has been, about cricket. The entire setup, the entire family, everything has revolved around it. I have been brought up by my dad and as you know he has also spent his lifetime playing the game. So there was nothing else to do besides this. Q: Is that where your aggressive streak too has come from? A Punjab ka puttar? Ans: I think it is in my blood, our blood. My dad, as a person, is very aggressive. My mom is also quite hot-blooded. So I guess I also had to be like that. Q: So that is your true personality? 'Hot' and happening? Ans: No, it's not really my real personality. As a person I am outgoing. I like to be adventurous and can't sit at one place for too long. Even when I come back from long tours I relax and chill out only a bit. Pretty soon I want to get out. Go to the gym, see my friends. Q: At the crease, though, you are very relaxed. Lazily elegant. Is that a contradiction? Ans: I don't know what it is. When I am batting I try to focus on things. Whether that comes out as aggressive or not, I don't know. Maybe, it's just my body language. Or what I am doing on the field. Q: In the beginning, were you not ready for superstardom? Is that what hurt your career then? Ans: I won't say that. I was not ready to play for India. I had already played for the under-19 team twice before that. I had played lot of domestic cricket as well. So I think I made my debut at the right time. Q: Maybe you were not ready for the adulation Ans: Well, I knew it was going to happen. If you perform at the top level, it comes to you automatically. In Indian cricket, it almost comes instantly. But all that has to do with the media. They make superstars of young kids very quickly. And as soon as we have a couple of bad matches, they pull us down. That takes us really, really low. Q: So it was tough to cope with the attention? Ans: No, the tougher part was international cricket. I came and played a few good knocks but then suddenly I had six-seven bad games. And I didn't know where I was going, where I was gonna land. That was the difficult part. Luckily I came back, played domestic cricket. I learnt lot of things during that time I went up the ladder slowly next time. That helped. Q: Did you change as a person during that phase? Did it make you tougher? Ans: Oh yes, there was a huge change. Earlier, I used to think I am playing for India so I can do whatever I want to. I was like a hero. Felt like that for a couple of years. It was only after some time that I realised it is not going to work. I thought if I wanted to play for India a long time I had to change my ways. Q: What is your idea of life? Ans: My idea of life is to live for the moment. I live for myself. I am responsible only to my parents and friends. That's all that matters to me; I don't really care about the rest. I am not someone who believes I have to maintain a nice image. A goody-goody one. That everybody should think I am a good guy. I am happy if people close to me know what I am all about, if they know I am good at heart. Q: So are you really a good guy or a bad guy? Ans: I don't want to say I am a good guy or a bad guy. That's for people to judge and for people around me to know. If my friends think I am a good-hearted person then I guess that's what I am. On the field I am very serious but off it I am seen as a prankster. So maybe I am both too. Q: What about your game on the field? How do you see your career at this stage of your life? Ans: It's been seven years since I first played for India. But my career hasn't really picked up, the way I wanted it to. I have played lot of One-day cricket but very few Test matches. There's a big gap between the two. And I want to bridge that. I know if I have to be known as a good player, I have to play lot of Test cricket and perform there. But at the moment, for various reasons, I am not able to get into the side. We have had a strong batting lineup in the middle order. I have missed a few chances too. So I am not happy with myself at all at the moment. I obviously need to improve a lot in Test cricket but I don't have much time left to establish myself. Q: So you accept you haven't done justice to your talent. What are you doing about it? Ans: No, I haven't. As I see it, if someone has the talent he must make full use of it. He should perform at the topmost level. Talent should not be wasted. I know it hasn't been wasted completely in my case but I am not at the top level either. I am somewhere in between right now. It's not as simple as saying you want to play Test cricket and you will get it. I have to be patient and work hard at my game. I have to wait for my chance and grab it when it comes. Q: Which was the most crucial innings/tour that set you back? Ans: I think the West Indies tour last year was very important. Just before that, I had a lot of good games. I got the opportunity as there were a few vacancies in the middle order. But I had a bad Test series. That put me back. Then I had a knee injury. It was a very difficult period for me. Now I have to start again, come back and perform. Q: Do you need to add anything more to your game? Ans: Yes. Test cricket is all about patience and consistency. I am doing fairly well in One-day cricket. As I have played a lot of it I understand my game. My strengths, my weaknesses. So I know how to come out of bad patches. Maybe, I have to be a little choosier about my strokes in Test cricket. In ODIs you can play your shots. Q: So are you a full-blown One day player, a specialist, at the moment? Ans: No. I am not saying that. I am not perfect in the One-day game either. I am still learning a few things. But as I played so much I understand the game well, what it takes and stuff like that. But in Test cricket I am still lacking there. Q: What is your batting all about? Is it about power? Timing? Ans: When I was young I really wanted to hit the ball hard. But now I realise if I time the ball well, it will go as far and as fast too. Just what I always wanted to do. So at the moment I rely more on timing and play according to the wicket. Even if I play 10-15 dot balls I know I can make it up in the end. So I try and hang on till as long as I can. Q: Does your natural ability make you overconfident at times? Is that what hurts you? Ans: If you try and play all your strokes, you will eventually get into trouble. I know that. So I try and play according to the merit of the ball. It's important to control your strokeplay, your aggression. Q: Have you always been so athletic? Ans: Well, my father has played lot of cricket; my mother has been a national basketballer too. So sports is in our blood. I've been good in most sports, generally too. Skating, tennis and football. They all came naturally to me. But I am glad I chose cricket, that I am playing it even now. Q: You wanted to be a skater in the beginning though... Ans: Oh yes. I am glad my dad pulled me out of it. I was just having fun as a kid and you know how kids are. They get obsessed with some things and want to do only that. I was 11 or 12 and used to skate well. I used to switch between skating and tennis though. Finally, my father had enough of it. He said it was time I concentrated on one game. He even threw away the skates. It has been cricket since then. Q: Your father was very strict? Ans: Yeah. He was. Especially when it came to cricket. He was very disciplined and demanding. He always made sure I was at the ground early in the morning. Practicing for six to eight hours, doing what I needed to do. I guess in the end, it has been a good thing. Q: What do you like to do beyond cricket? Ans: I love driving my car. And I love driving fast; I love watching movies, listening to music and spending time with my friends. Q: You meet loads of people all over the world. What kind do you really like? Who do you get along with? Ans: I am very choosy about making friends. I've had lots of bad experiences. I've noticed since I play for India lot of people come to me with some motive or the other. They try to use me. You know, my popularity, my status or whatever. So I am very careful now. I like people who respect me and have a honest way of talking. Basically, people with a good heart. Someone who expects nothing but friendship from me. Q: Do you like being called a ladies' man? Ans: (Laughs) As I said I live for myself. I work on the field very hard. I respect everybody and I do what I think is OK for me. You live only once so I try and enjoy it as much as possible. So whatever tag I am given, it doesn't really bother me. At the end of the day, my family and friends shouldn't be hurt by whatever I am doing. Q: You are the livewire within the team too, the heart and soul of it off the field... Ans: Totally. I am very fun-loving. It's very important to have fun while you are playing too. It's even more important to keep the dressing room happy and lively. I think I play a small part in that. I like to cheer up my mates, having a good laugh. And doing the good things in life. Q: But at a very personal level it must be tough. When you are not in the team, not playing... Ans: Yes, it gets frustrating at times. But I enjoy doing this. Because I enjoy the successes of the team, of my friends. Even if I am not playing I want my team to do well. I also understand the team is more important than I am. What is the point if I perform well but the team doesn't win? Similarly, if I am not playing but the team wins it's still the best thing to happen. We just won the Test series in England and even though I wasn't even playing I had a great time. We all had a great time together after the Test match at the Oval. We celebrated it grandly. Q: What did you do yourself? You were believed to be in the middle of all the action? Ans: I was just trying to open as many champagne bottles as I could. I wanted everyone to drink as much as they could. I was trying to finish off a bottle myself too. I danced, I sang and had a blast. These things come very rarely. In fact, these are really, really rare moments in our lives, these victories overseas. It's not easy, especially given our past record. Q: Don't you think this happy-go-lucky type image has hurt your career? Ans: I don't know. Maybe it has, maybe not. But I know when it comes to cricket I don't fool around. I am very serious about it. I give my everything to it. And on my free days I do whatever I want to. I guess everyone expects me to be very prim and proper because I play for India. They always want us all to be on the field, not be seen around and stuff. But we are normal people too. We like to have fun too. Personally, I don't care too much about these perceptions and I don't try to live life as people want me to. There are certain things we are not supposed to do, before a game etc. I ensure I don't do them. Q: Did it not come in your way when the vice-captain for One-dayers or even the captain for the Twenty20 World Cup was being picked? Ans: I don't know. Being the captain of Team India is obviously a great honour. Any cricketer playing for his country would always want to become the captain. I would love to be one too. But the important thing for me is the team. I support my team till the end. If something hurts my team or my teammates, it will bother me. If losing the captaincy hurts me, I think it's good. Then I know I am on the right path because then you work harder and try and make up for it. Q: Any marriage plans? Ans: No, not yet. I am not thinking about it at the moment. The day I find a nice girl I will surely get married. Q: But you do know a lot of nice girls... Ans: Well...yeah, there are lot of nice girls out there. But it's very difficult to find that one person. The one you want to marry. Q: How would your ideal wife be? Ans: You see, when I am not playing, I am out. I love to meet my friends. So it has to be someone who gels with my friends. Be understanding. I would also like someone who is of a giving nature. It's going to be very hard because you hardly find a person who is more giving. Q: Would you accept an arranged marriage? Ans: I am not that kind of a person, not someone who will settle for an arranged marriage. I think it's very important to know a person before you marry her. But then, if I don't find a girl, I will have to go for arranged marriage only. I will have to tell my mom to go and find a nice girl for me. In fact, every day she asks me if she should look for a girl. And I keep telling her, no not yet. Let me do something in life first. Thank you and all the best for your future. I do hope you get a good wife too. Yeah. Good wife and good life. What more can you ask for?

[King]

A good nice talent being wasted. I think Yuvraj's now at a stage where he can come good in test cricket. At times the long wait creates deseperation and a desperation to play test cricket is good for Yuvraj. Don't know how they can fit Yuvi in the test team but they sure should.

[Guest Hiten.]

Kick Laxman out and take yuvi in his place.. Simple as that

[Predator_05]

He is at the peak of his career at the moment - looks almost unstoppable at times, no matter how good the bowling is. I wouldn't think twice about giving him another chance in the Test side.

[Guest Hiten.]

He is at the peak of his career at the moment - looks almost unstoppable at times' date=' no matter how good the bowling is. I wouldn't think twice about giving him another chance in the Test side.[/quote'] Moreover, he can be our BEST counter-attacking option when we tour Aus later this year. Ausi's will have fast tracks, and we all know how good yuvi is when it comes to facing Fast bowlers. Lets hope our great BCCI dont eff up 'again':alienbooty:

[Holysmoke]

UV for Gangs/Laxman. One of them have to make way :scooter:

[bharat297]

Kick Laxman out before a tour of Australia? Are you serious? For Laxman the main issue is converting all these 50s into centuries. Those who watched the England series will know Laxman is still timing the ball as well as ever, he just needs to convert those starts into big scores. And Ganguly was hands down our best batsman during the Test series in England and was ROBBED by some terrible umpiring decisions.. Yuvraj is an excellent player but like he said, he will have to wait his chance and take it when it comes. Our test side is doing well and until we start doing badly there is no immediate need to change our test 11.

[gs]

The Pak tests will show who deserves a ticket to Aus among SRT/Dravid/Ganguly/Laxman. The one who doesnt should be replaced with Yuvraj.

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

Yuvraj should replace Ganguly immediately in the tests and given as much chance as possible to prove himself.....

[The Outsider]

Yuvraj can never strike it in test cricket. You've heard it here multiple (at least 19) times. Believe it!

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

hahaha..and who are you?..A psychic? I think he will be a big success

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

Yuvraj in is much better batting form than Gangs and he is the future of Indian cricket.

[The Outsider]

hahaha..and who are you?..A psychic? I think he will be a big success

Wish I was a psychic but I am not, but after seeing the poor guy struggle in test matches to middle a ball I feel my reading is correct. At the same time he is our most valuable batsman in ODIs.

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

He needs to be given a consistent run in the tests...Not a couple of tests here and there cuz that does nothing to your confidence and tells nothing of your skills cuz you can have a bad outing here and there.....There is no pt of hvin gangs in the tests. Yuvraj will do a much better job ...with the bat, field and probably ball.

[kumble_rocks]

I am not happy with my career right now - Yuvraj Singh

Neither are we !

[The Outsider]

He needs to be given a consistent run in the tests...Not a couple of tests here and there cuz that does nothing to your confidence and tells nothing of your skills cuz you can have a bad outing here and there.....There is no pt of hvin gangs in the tests. Yuvraj will do a much better job ...with the bat' date=' field and probably ball.[/quote'] Are 10 tests not consistent enough for your hero? No point having Ganguly in tests?:hysterical::hysterical: He's been our best test batsman over the last 2 series in case you were busy worshiping Yuvraj.

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

No maybe your gangs worshipping will end if yuvraj make it to the test team cuz you very well know the only player that needs to go out is gangs and not laxman for yuvraj to get in.... Look at this way, yuvraj was dropped from the team after his initial heroics at nairbo and against SA when he started his carreer and if he wasnt given chance again, you wont have him in the team. Yuvraj needs to be given a run in the tests cuz otherwise we will be wasting an immense talent and its a pity.

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

and even if Gangs had been doing good in tests(yuvraj can still do better given his form and class), he is not the future and you dont need all of them retiring at the same time. Gangs had been riding his luck for a long time.

[The Outsider]

Let me know how much Yuvraj averaged in his last test series, assured of a spot, with no Tendulkar and Ganguly and if you've got any legs after that, reply .

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

I don't know if you are trying to be a smart ass or what cuz I think you are making a fool of yourself here. I am in no way contesting that Yuvraj has had a good run in tests and everyone knows that cuz he would be in the team right now otherwise. However, its a question of talent and whether Yuvraj will eventually start delivering in Tests and that too in a big way. Yuvraj has had bad odi series at times and so did other players, does that mean he shouldn't be in the odi team either. You don't make sense. I am talking about his willingness to play in the test team which will motivate him to do well and he has the talent and ability to back it up with and he can score runs in it. Gangs is a goner and he soon will be and he will replaced by Yuvraj but it will be better for the Indian cricket if thats done quick and yuvi given a consistent run in the tests because we know he got the talent and to show what he got.