'The day I retired, I was free': Yuvraj Singh opens up about his retirement a year after the decision

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh recently revealed the circumstances that prompted him to retire from all forms of cricket. He stated that he wasn't in the right frame of mind leading up to the decision, and that the sport wasn't helping him mentally.

Speaking to Gaurav Kapur on the Oaktree Sports YouTube channel, Yuvraj Singh finally spilled the beans regarding his retirement from cricket, which was made public around a year ago in June 2019.

"When you are at a fast pace in life, you don't realise a lot of things. Suddenly you are like, what has happened here? I am sitting here at home for 2-3 months, obviously for a different reasons," he said.

"I got to a stage when cricket was not helping me mentally. I always wanted to play cricket but it was not helping me stay in a good state of mind. I was dragging myself and thinking 'when do I have to retire, should I retire, should I not retire, should I play for another season'," added Yuvraj Singh.

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Yuvraj Singh: 'It was a very emotional moment'

The southpaw further said that he was happy with what he had achieved in cricket, and that he felt it was the right time to move on.

"I miss the game sometimes, but I do not miss it very often because I have played it for so many years. I get so many messages for fans, so much love that I feel really blessed. More than anything the respect the game has given you, and if you are happy with that respect you have earned for the last 20 years, you think it's the right time to move on," said Yuvraj Singh.

"So, I think the day I retired I was free, it was a very emotional moment, I can't put that in words but certainly, I felt free after that, mentally very happy. I hadn't slept since many years and I tried to sleep really well," he concluded.

After an incredible international career spanning 17 years, Yuvraj Singh bid adieu to the sport he was involved in from a very young age.

Despite winning the Man of the Tournament award in the 2011 World Cup-winning campaign, the elegant left-hander's greatest achievement came when he braved cancer to make a successful return to the Indian setup.