India vs South Africa: One of India’s great all-rounders, Yuvraj Singh, had a moment of a lifetime as a stand was named after him at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday.
However, it was not the best of days for the Indian Cricket Team, who lost the 2nd T20I against South Africa at the same venue. Yuvraj, who was present at the venue during the match, was spotted interacting with the players.
After his stand got unveiled, Yuvraj reached Team India’s pre-match huddle and delivered a pep talk. Notably, India’s World Cup-winning captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, also had a stand inaugurated under her name.
“I’m just happy to catch up with the boys, talk to them – and now, that I’m on the other side, looking out for them is natural,” Yuvraj was quoted from a video released by the BCCI.
“I remember that we always had a huddle, a spark of conversation that would ignite us to go in there and perform.”
Yuvraj didn’t hold back his praise as he went on to say that the current Indian lot is the best in white-ball format.
“In T20s and ODIs, we’re the best side,” he said, before steering the conversation to what lies ahead: the T20 World Cup in 2026.
“I’m sure the preparations are underway. And I have no doubt that my Indian team is going to be there amongst the final two,” Yuvraj exclaimed.
“But for me, win or lose, I’m always proud of them.”
But Yuvi also shared a lesson, in which he talked about the India-winning campaigns in the 2007 T20 World Cup win and a remarkable Player-of-the-Series performance in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
“I’ve been a part of a team that has lost many battles and won some big battles together,” Yuvraj reminisced.
“And I do believe that as long as they stick together as a team, the results will follow.”
Yuvraj made his international debut in 2000 and called it quits from the sport in 2019. He represented India in 398 matches across formats and had over 11,000 runs to show for it.