"It was flipping close" - Former India coach makes shocking revelation about Yuvraj Singh's selection for 2011 World Cup

Former India head coach Gary Kirsten has revealed that Yuvraj Singh was not an automatic choice in the 2011 ODI World Cup squad. The South African legend recalled that there was a debate around the 15 that should be chosen and that both he and skipper MS Dhoni backed the seasoned all-rounder's inclusion.

India won the 2011 ODI World Cup at home under Dhoni, ending their 28-year drought to lift the ICC trophy. The Men in Blue beat Sri Lanka in the final by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Batting first, Sri Lanka put up 274-6 on the board, a total India chased down in 48.2 overs. Yuvraj was named Player of the Tournament for scoring 362 runs and claiming 15 wickets.

While Yuvraj is rated among India's greatest white-ball players ever, Kirsten has revealed that his selection for the 2011 World Cup national squad was not a straightforward one. In an interview with Rediff.com, he recalled:

"Thank goodness we picked him because it was flipping close, he was. It was not a slam dunk selection. The selectors kind of debated around the 15 players. I was very keen to have him in the team as was Dhoni because of the experience that he brought to the group. And look at the World Cup he ended up having."

The 57-year-old also revealed that Yuvraj worked with Paddy Upton (mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach) to get himself ready for the 2011 World Cup. Sharing his thoughts on the former India all-rounder, Kirsten said:

"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 was good. I just want him to be scoring runs all the time because when I watch him bat, it's just like amazing to watch. But there was a journey he had to walk and credit to Paddy.

"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," the former India coach added.

Yuvraj played 304 ODIs during his illustrious career, amassing 8,701 runs at an average of 36.55, with the aid of 14 hundreds and 52 half-centuries.

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Yuvraj Singh's 2011 ODI World Cup performance

In eight innings in the 2011 ODI World Cup, Yuvraj scored 362 runs at an average of 90.50 and a strike rate of 86.19, with one hundred and four half-centuries. The southpaw scored 113 off 123 balls against West Indies in Chennai. He also contributed 58 against England in Bengaluru, 50* against Ireland at the same venue, and 51* against the Netherlands in Delhi.

Yuvraj contributed a memorable 57* off 65 against Australia in the quarterfinals in Ahmedabad as India knocked the defending champions out of the tournament. With the ball, he claimed 15 scalps with his left-arm spin, averaging 25.13. He picked up 5-31 in the group match against Ireland and chipped in with two wickets each in all three knockout clashes.