Had the team management supported me, I could've played another WC: Yuvraj Singh
New Delhi, Sep 27: Former India batsman Yuvraj Singh has claimed that the team management let him down towards the fag end of his international career and he could have played another World Cup after the 2011 heroics if he had enough backing.
"(I) Regret that I couldn't play another World Cup after 2011. There was hardly any support from the team management or people around. If that support was there then maybe I would have played another World Cup," Yuvraj told 'Aaj Tak' channel.
"But whatever cricket I played it's on my own. I never had any godfather."
Yuvraj, who retired from the game earlier this year, reiterated that he was ignored despite clearing the mandatory yo-yo test for fitness.
He said instead of just trying to find ways to get rid of him, the team management should have been "upfront" in their communication regarding his career.
"I never thought that I would be dropped after being the man-of-the-match in 2 games out of the 8-9 I played after the 2017 Champions Trophy. I got injured and I was told to prepare for the Sri Lanka series," the left-hander recalled.
"Suddenly I had to go back and prepare for the yo-yo test at the age of 36. Even after I cleared the yo-yo test, I was told to play domestic cricket. They actually thought that I wouldn't be able to clear the test due to my age. And that it would be easy to decline me afterwards.
"I think it was unfortunate because a guy who played international cricket for 15-16 years, you need to sit and tell him upfront. No one told me and no one told Virender Sehwag or Zaheer Khan either," added Yuvraj.
Despite the feeling of being letdown, Yuvraj said he has no regrets about quitting the game and feels his retirement timing was right.
"There were plenty of things on my mind. I felt that the World Cup has started, the team has moved forward. I wanted to play some cricket out of India. Life was not going forward, it was stressful.
"I was just wondering when to retire. I got married a few years before so I wanted to focus on my life. The end of my career became a bit of burden for me," he said.
"If I wanted to play a league outside India then I had to retire and I thought it was the perfect time. Things were not going in the right direction so I thought it was the perfect time for younger guys to take the team forward and for me to hang my boots," he added.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
