'Fighter' Yuvraj Singh opens up on his retirement plans

What's the story?

Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh has shed light on his retirement plans. Expressing his desire to time his retirement to perfection in the near future, the 36-year old has not given up on his chances of making a comeback into the national team. Yuvraj went on to affirm that he has it in him to play the next two or three seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

During a free-wheeling interview with Sportstar Live, Yuvraj said, "I don’t want to leave the game with any regret, thinking I should have played for some more years. I want to go when I feel it is the right time to go, when I feel I have done my best and I could not have done any more than this. I am still playing because I am enjoying playing cricket, not just because I have to play for India or I have to play the IPL. The motivation is definitely to play for India. I feel two or three IPLs are left in me."

He added, "The journey has been nice. I have been a fighter, taking on tough situations. I like being a pillar of strength to people, for those suffering from cancer or going through other issues in life. I want to be known as someone who never gave up. Whether I play for India or not, I will give my 100 per cent on the field."

The background

Yuvraj's previous appearance for India came during the Antigua ODI against West Indies during June 2017. With age slowing his reflexes considerably, the veteran batsman's dwindling returns have forced the selectors to look for younger alternatives in the middle-order.

The heart of the matter

Unlike in 2015 or 2016 wherein he fetched INR 16 crores and 7 crores respectively, there were no aggressive bids for Yuvraj in the 2018 IPL Auction. Eventually, Kings XI Punjab secured his services at his base price of 2 crores.

Hoping to feature in the next three IPL seasons, Yuvraj also revealed his future plans after retiring from the game. When asked if we would get to see him in the commentary box, the southpaw replied in the negative. Instead, he opened up on his inclination for coaching and hoped to work with underprivileged children in their pursuit to balance sport and education.

What's next?

Yuvraj showed glimpses of recapturing his old magic during the recently completed match between Punjab and Baroda in the 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He will be aiming to lead from the front during his state team's contests against Assam and Railways on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Author's take

Admittedly, the chances of Yuvraj returning to the Indian team are quite slim. However, if he maintains his fitness, there is no reason why the southpaw cannot play in the next two or three IPL seasons.