Nearly seven years after retiring, Yuvraj Singh has finally clarified why he has stayed away from the commentary box—unlike many of his contemporaries.
During a discussion with Sports Tak, the former India all-rounder, a central figure in the country’s 2011 World Cup triumph, revealed that his decision is deeply personal rather than professional.
“Now that I have retired, I’ll say this,” Singh stated.
“People who have talked about me, not on cricket, but made personal comments about me. I think if you talk about someone’s game, it’s understandable, it’s a game. When you get personal, those comments stick forever with you. I don’t want to sit and do commentary with people who have made personal comments about me. That’s the reason I don’t want to do commentary. Commentary is a great place to talk about the game. But that’s one reason I don’t want to do it.”
The comments shed light on a long-standing absence that had puzzled fans and industry observers, especially given the trend of high-profile former players transitioning into broadcast roles.
Building the next generation: Yuvraj’s impact as mentor
Rather than entering broadcasting, he has invested his time in mentorship, player development, and business ventures—building influence behind the scenes rather than in front of the microphone.
Yuvraj’s post-retirement legacy is increasingly being defined by his work with emerging Indian talent, including players like Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju Samson.
His hands-on involvement has been particularly significant in helping players navigate difficult phases in their careers.
Speaking about Samson’s struggles and eventual resurgence, Yuvraj detailed the turning point in their collaboration:
“Sanju had reached that stage where he felt he was not finding a place in the XI. The conversation I had with him happened in 2024 when India won that World Cup in Barbados. In that World Cup, Sanju was not playing. I had been watching his batting for 2-3 IPL seasons. I told him we would speak whenever he had time,” said Yuvraj.
He also emphasized the technical adjustments required to elevate Samson’s consistency at the highest level:
“So my issue with Sanju was, you have to improve your footwork. If you don’t improve your footwork, you will consistently land in trouble. Scoring runs or not is different, but you have to improve your footwork. I gave him some ideas on how to improve it,” he added.
