'There was a Distraction with Media and People': Yuvraj Recalls Sachin’s Formula in Key Advice to Team India

India’s World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has recalled how Sachin Tendulkar helped the team stay away from distractions during the 2011 World Cup. Yuvraj revealed Tendulkar’s valuable piece of suggestion which ultimately proved to be a great help. Yuvraj talked about how India had lost their game to South Africa in the tournament, causing the media to go berserk.

To protect his team from negativity and criticism, Sachin sat down with the squad and said, “We need to stop watching television, stop reading the papers. Use our headphones when we are going through crowds in airports. Just focus on the World Cup”.

Yuvraj and his Indian teammates obliged and the rest is history. MS Dhoni’s men were crowned world champions in 2011.

Yuvraj Singh, one of the most accomplished players in Indian cricket history, is widely regarded as a big-match player who delivered when his team needed him the most. In his illustrious career, Yuvraj witnessed how distraction can be a severe hindrance to a player’s performance, especially in big tournaments. According to him, distractions have comparatively increased in modern cricket due to the presence of social media.

“Now, distraction is a bit more because that time there was no social media,” he said while speaking to The Week.

“[At the time] There was a distraction with media and people,” he added.

He also talked about how the expectations are always sky-high with the Indian team, which adds unnecessary pressure on the players to perform.

“The problem with India is that people think only the Indian team will win,” the 41-year-old said.

Sachin Tendulkar’s wise words enabled the players to give their best at the 2011 World Cup on home soil. Since the loss to South Africa, India recovered to reach the final. In the summit clash, brilliant innings from Gautam Gambhir and skipper MS Dhoni saw the Indian side secure the trophy for the second time. Sachin’s words did have a massive impact on Yuvraj Singh as he won the Player of the Tournament award. He finished the 2011 World Cup campaign with 362 runs to his name while enjoying an astonishing average of 90.50.

Speaking of the World Cup, India are set to face one of the favourites, Australia, in their opening game of the tournament on October 8. Rohit Sharma’s men recently beat them 2-1 in ODI series at home. They had also bagged the Asia Cup defeating Sri Lanka earlier this month in the final.