'Backstabbers Everywhere' – Yuvraj Singh's father opens up on his career struggles

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s father, Yograj Singh, launched a sharp criticism when asked if Virat Kohli’s captaincy could have helped Yuvraj extend his career. Yograj believes that almost all of Yuvraj’s contemporaries were scared that he might take their spots in the team. Yuvraj had an illustrious 15-year international career, but he faced periods of being in and out of the Indian side, particularly in 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2017.

Virat Kohli became India’s permanent captain in white-ball formats at the start of 2017. Despite this, Yuvraj played only eight ODIs under Kohli that season before being dropped permanently from the team. Yograj’s comments suggest that Kohli’s captaincy could not have changed the dynamics of fear and competition surrounding Yuvraj’s place in the side.

Speaking to Inside Sport, Yograj said, "As I told you, there are no friends in the sphere of success, money, and glory. There were always backstabbers, people who wanted to put you down. People were scared of Yuvraj Singh because they were afraid he would usurp their seats because he was such a great player created by the God Almighty. He has been the greatest of players, who they were scared of—right from MS Dhoni, everybody—'Oh,he might take my chair.'"

Yuvraj’s Career and Kohli’s Captaincy

Kohli is among India’s most successful captains, registering 135 wins in 213 matches across formats. During his captaincy, India excelled at Test cricket during the second half of the decade, including their first series win in Australia (2018/19)

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Although Kohli had success as a captain, the fact that Yuvraj didn't play at all during that time shows the intense competition and inner workings of the team Yograj spoke of because talent was not always enough to secure a position on the Indian national team.