Uthappa holds Kohli indirectly responsible for cutting short Yuvraj's career
New Delhi (PTI): Former batter Robin Uthappa has held Virat Kohli indirectly responsible for cutting short Yuvraj Singh's international career after he beat cancer to return to the team, saying the flamboyant all-rounder's request for certain fitness concessions was denied by the then India captain.
One of India's finest players in white-ball cricket, Yuvraj was one of the big reasons for the team's twin World Cup success under MS Dhoni's leadership, but after the title triumph in the 2011 ODI showpiece, he was diagnosed with cancer and was promptly treated for the same in the US.
Yuvraj then made a remarkable recovery to fight his way back into the Indian team and also scored a hundred against England in an ODI, but after a quiet outing in the Champions Trophy in 2017, he was ignored and decided to retire from the game in 2019.
Telling the story as he saw it, Uthappa said during an interview on 'Lallantop', "Take Yuvi Pa's instance. The man beat cancer, and he is trying to come back into the international side. He is the man who won us a World Cup, won us two World Cups for that matter, along with the other players, but played an integral role in helping us win.
"Then for such a player, when you become captain, you say his lung capacity has diminished and you have been with him when you have seen him struggle. Nobody has told me this, I observe things."
Uthappa added, "You have seen him struggle, then when you are captain, yes you have to maintain a level of standard, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Here is a man who deserves to be an exception because he is not just beaten and won you tournaments, but he has beaten cancer.
"He has beaten the hardest challenge in life in that sense. Some question room for someone like that."
Uthappa revealed that Yuvraj asked for a point deduction in the fitness test but was denied any leniency by the team management. However, he was able to clear the test and make a comeback to the side before being dropped after a poor outing in the Champions Trophy in England.
"So when Yuvi requested for that two-point deduction, he didn't get it. Then he did the test because he was outside the team and they weren't taking him in. He passed the fitness test, came inside the team, had a lean tournament, took him out totally. Never entertained him after that.
"Whoever was in the leadership group, didn't entertain him. That time Virat was the leader and it went according to him due to his strong personality, and that time it was according to him," Uthappa said.
Speaking about Kohli's leadership style, Uthappa said he was a 'my way or the highway' kind of a captain.
"I haven't played under Virat as a captain very much. But Virat as a captain, he was very 'my way or the highway' kind of a captain. It's not like these guys aren't also like that, but how to treat your team, how you treat your personnel, because it is not just about results."
Yuvraj, 43, announced his international retirement in 2019, having last played in the IPL in the same year for Mumbai Indians.
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Shocking: Deepika Padukone on L&T head suggesting 90-hour work week for employees
New Delhi: Bollywood star Deepika Padukone has joined the social media discourse around L&T chairman S N Subrahmanyan's remarks about wishing to make employees work on Sundays, saying it was shocking to see such statements coming from people in top positions at companies.
In an undated video circulating on social media, Subrahmanyan is heard saying, "How long can you stare at your wife?"
"I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays," he further said in the video.
Sharing a post about the L&T head's statement on her Instagram Stories, Padukone said, "Shocking to see people in such senior positions make such statements #mentalhealthmatter."
Subrahmanyan's comments drew criticism on social media with some questioning why highly paid CEOs with different job pressures expect the same level of commitment from less-paid employees.
Soon after, L&T issued a clarification saying the chairman's remarks were in the context of extraordinary efforts required for achieving extraordinary outcomes for the nation.
"We believe this is India's decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation.
"The chairman's remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary effort," L&T spokesperson said in a brief statement.
Padukone, who has been advocating about mental well being and is also the founder of not-for-profit organisation The Live Love Laugh Foundation, posted the company's statement on Instagram and wrote, "And they just made it worse..."
The remarks by Subrahmanyan have reignited the work-life balance debate, first triggered by Infosys Co-Founder Narayana Murthy's suggestion of a 70-hour work week.
Last year, Murthy had said, "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world... my request is that our youngsters must say, 'this is my country, I want to work 70 hours a week'."
