‘Not close friends, were friends only…’: Yuvraj Singh on his relationship with MS Dhoni

Now in a recent conversation with Influencer Ranveer Allahbadia on his podcast ‘The Ranveer Show’, the former all-rounder has revealed that he and MS Dhoni are not close friends and were friends only because of cricket as they played together. He also added that they never became close friends as both had very different lifestyles.

“Me and Mahi are not close friends. We were friends because of cricket, we played together. My lifestyle was very different from him, so we were never close friends, we were only friends because of cricket.”

He said that not all 11 players on a team get along with one another, adding that, teammates don’t have to be best friends outside the field.

He added that more than friendship, they both shared a very good professional relationship as he said, “When me and Mahi went on the ground, we gave more than 100 percent to our country together.”

In the podcast, he also spoke about the decision differences between the two. He said, “He was captain, I was vice-captain. When I came into the team, he was 4 years junior. When you are captain and vice-captain, there will be decision differences. Sometimes he made decisions I didn’t like, sometimes I made decisions he didn’t like. That happens in every team.”

Further explaining, he said, “Your teammates don’t have to be your best friends outside the field. Everybody has a different lifestyle, skill set. Certain people hang out with certain people, you don’t have to be best friends with everyone to go on the field. If you take any team, all eleven don’t get along. Some do, some don’t. When you are in the park, put your ego behind you and contribute on the field.”

Yuvraj also spoke about their selfless support for each other during their partnership on the field. Recalling an incident, he told RTS, “There were times when MS was injured and he was batting in Bangladesh and I was a runner for him. I remember when he was in his 90s, I wanted to give him the strike to help him reach his 100. I remember diving for him, for his second run as he was in his 90s and I didn’t want him to miss out on his 100.”

In another incident, he said, “When I was batting in a World Cup match, I was 48 against the Netherlands. There were 2 runs to get and Mahi blocked both the balls so that I get 50.”

In the podcast, he also said that before the 2019 World Cup, he had approached Mahi for career advice and was informed that the selection committee was not considering him and provided him with a clear understanding of his situation

He said, “When I was at the end of my career, when I wasn’t getting the right picture about my career, I asked him for advice. He was the guy who told me that the selection committee is not looking you right now. I was like, at least I got to know the real picture. This is just before 2019 World Cup. That is the reality,” he said.

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Updated: 05 Nov 2023, 01:17 PM IST