Former India cricketer Yograj Singh, who is also the father of Yuvraj Singh, heaped high praise on Mohammed Siraj following his standout performance in the final Test against England at The Oval. Siraj played a crucial role in helping India clinch a narrow win and level the series 2-2.

Yograj Singh was especially impressed by Siraj’s energy, consistency, and determination throughout the series. He mentioned that watching Siraj bowl reminded him of the great Kapil Dev, one of India’s finest all-rounders. According to Yograj, Siraj's hunger to take wickets and his aggressive style closely resembled Kapil’s approach during his playing days.

Comparing a modern-day bowler to a legend like Kapil Dev is no small compliment. Yograj’s remarks highlighted how Siraj’s recent performances, particularly in high-pressure situations, have taken his game to a new level and earned him admiration from former players and fans alike.

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Yograj Singh Praises Siraj’s Hard Work:

Mohammed Siraj played a key role in India’s thrilling six-run victory in the final Test at The Oval, picking up nine wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. His efforts were crucial in turning the game around, especially after England looked set to win at 301/3 while chasing 374.

In a conversation with ANI, former cricketer Yograj Singh praised Siraj’s outstanding performance. He highlighted how Siraj led the Indian bowling attack with determination and skill, helping the team level the series despite being under immense pressure on the final day of the match.

He said, “The way our players have played, it was amazing to watch. The way Mohammed Siraj bowled, he reminded me of Kapil Dev. The captaincy of Shubman Gill was mature. It did not seem at all that he was a captain for the first time.”

Miya Magic in The Oval:

Mohammed Siraj was one of the two pacers, alongside Chris Woakes, to feature in all five tough Test matches. While Woakes got injured in the final game, Siraj remained strong throughout the series. He emerged as the top wicket-taker, claiming 23 wickets and proving his consistency and resilience across all five matches.

Mohammed Siraj shared that he strongly believed he could help India win the Oval Test on the final day. England needed just 35 runs with four wickets left, but Siraj turned the match around. Delivering a brilliant spell of pace bowling, he took three of the last four wickets, including the final dismissal of Gus Atkinson, leading India to a memorable and hard-fought victory.

Siraj earned the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance in both innings of the crucial Oval Test. His impact with the ball played a key role in securing victory in the series decider, showcasing his skill and determination when it mattered most for his team.

The former India pacer, Yograj Singh, has dropped a huge remark on India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, after the Shubman Gill-led side’s mammoth 336-run victory at Edgbaston to level the series 1-1 against England. He reckoned that despite failures, it would be vital for the fans to consistently support Gambhir and co. Because they had done so much for the game.

Yograj, father of India’s World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, was pleased with Gill’s character in Birmingham. The Punjab-born led the young side in the absence of two veterans, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, especially after their opening five-wicket defeats against the Ben Stokes-led side. The home side chased down 371 quite comfortably.

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“We will support them always. Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraaj Singh, and Rahul Dravid are giving back to cricket because they have received so much. Even if our team loses, we should not demoralize them. If you lose, you will not be there to explain, if you win, you don't need to explain. I liked Shubman Gill's statement yesterday. We hope that we win the series under the captaincy of Shubman Gill.” Yograj Singh addressed during a recent reaction with ANI.

Watch: Yograj Singh drops huge remark on India’s Test victory against England

Gautam Gambhir copped a lot of criticism before the start of the second game. Even when the management decided to go with Washington Sundar instead of Kuldeep Yadav to strengthen their batting line-up and give rest to their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. But Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj’s inspiring spell and five-wicket hauls across innings led them to the victory.

“God willing, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, India will win the series. And if we continue to field like this, I was talking to you, you would remember what happened yesterday regarding fielding fitness, why we won, what outstanding catches we took, and if the bowlers bowl four good balls out of six balls, then take two catches.” Yograj Singh added.

#WATCH | Chandigarh: On India's victory against England in the 2nd Test in Birmingham, former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh says, "Indian players are consistently growing and improving their game. We will support them always... Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraaj Singh, and Rahul Dravid are… pic.twitter.com/568dZJWfJA

— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2025

The visitors got the winning platform after their captain smashed 269 in the first innings. Even during the second innings, when they needed to score aggressively, the right-handed batter smashed 161 runs and set a massive target of over 600 runs for the opponents. Deep and Siraj outplayed the home bowlers’ on a dry batting paradise.

Yograj Singh, former India cricketer and father of Yuvraj Singh, again dropped a bombshell. In the latest interview, the former cricketer has made some interesting comments about Indian cricket. In this section, without mentioning anyone's name directly, Yograj simply said that the dressing culture Team India used to have was completely destroyed around 2011.

In the past, Singh repeatedly criticized former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for several reasons. This time, when he mentioned the 2011 World Cup and the time around, cricket fans guessed who Yograj could've talked about. He said that even when Sourav Ganguly was the leader of the team, there was a combination of new and experienced cricketers, all sharing the dressing room like family members. But all of a sudden, in 2011, especially after the ODI World Cup, things started to change and the culture was gone, said Yograj. 

In his own words, "We (team India) burned our own houses to stand for one person. Team India used to be like a family of older brothers and younger brothers (experienced & youngsters). But it all changed because of one person."

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Mohinder Amarnath wanted to sack MS Dhoni in 2011!

The straightforward former pointed out when Mohinder Amarnath, who then (2011, 2012) was the BCCI selector, wanted to sack MS Singh. Yuvraj's father claimed that right after winning the World Cup, the board selectors one by one decided to let go of the legends of the dressing room. 

"You (BCCI selectors) just destroyed these boys for no reason. Boys like Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Kaif, VVS Laxman, and Rahul Dravid. You just made them go after 2011," Yograj said in an interview. 

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket came suddenly. But they could've continued playing for 5 more years, believed Yograj Singh, former India international and father of Yuvraj Singh. 

While Virat is able to maintain the highest order and is active at the age of 36, Rohit's fitness remains a concern. To increase the fitness level, Yograj claimed that he advised Rohit on some tips, like waking up early in the morning and working hard physically. 

According to the latest media report, Singh said, "Virat and Rohit shouldn’t have retired from Tests. I told Rohit to get up at 5 AM and run for 20 km to keep himself fit. Virat and Rohit can still play for another 5 years in Test cricket. They should have played. They should be there to see that the baton is passed to the youngsters. The baton has not been passed; it has been thrown to Gill." 

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Rohit and Virat's retirements from the longest format of the game put pressure on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (India), as Team India is scheduled to play England from June 20. At first, the board officials had to find a suitable candidate for the captaincy role. For that, they chose Shubman Gill. Though Kohli's replacement is yet to be confirmed. 

Baton thrown to Gill!

Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7, and Virat's announcement came on May 12, which offered very little time to BCCI to restore the Test setup, and the team now has been going through the transition phase in a sudden manner. For that reason, Yograj said, "They should be there to see that the baton is passed to the youngsters." The baton has not been passed; it has been thrown to Gill." 

From June 20, India will face England at Leeds for the first match of the five-match Test series. The series will test Gill as the captain and the team's resilience and performance without Sharma and Kohli. 

When the entire cricketing world was stunned to see a 14-year-old boy create havoc in the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025), Yograj Singh, father of former Indian international Yuvraj Singh, made some shocking comments in an interview.

Yograj was clearly not impressed with the lightning-fast innings by the batter recruited by Rajasthan Royals (RR). Vaibhav Suryavanshi, at just 14 years and 23 days, made his IPL debut in RR colors against Lucknow Super Giants. Nine days after the debut game, Suryavanshi showed what he could do with the bat. The cricketer from Bihar encrypted the fastest hundred in the history of the tournament by an Indian batsman. The record-breaking ton against Gujarat Titans came after playing only 35 deliveries.

Overall, Suryavanshi bagged a total of 252 runs for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. Even after the conclusion of IPL 2025, recent reports suggested that he smashed 190 runs off just 90 balls in BCCI's Center of Excellence, Bengaluru, ahead of the India U19 tour to England. 

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Yograj's thoughts about the future of Vaibhav Suryavanshi

After all that, Yograj was not impressed. Because he wanted to scale a batter according to the standards of a Test match. 

"My vision is Test cricket. Can you survive five days? That's the real test. 50 overs—fair enough. 20 overs—fair enough. I don't go by these formats. But since they (formats) are there, you should be fit enough to play all three formats. Why do you struggle? Because you are only concentrating on T20, IPL, and 50 overs. Aaj toh 50 overs bhi nahi khel sakte hum log (Today, we cannot even play 50 overs). That's the way we are," Yograj said via Insidesport.

The amount of talent Vinod Kambli possessed, cricket fans are still wondering how massive he could be. Without a disciplined daily life or routine, no one can sustain for a long time; Kambli was not exceptional. Still, at present, his controversial lifestyle has become a talking point among cricket fans.

The downfall of Vinod Kambli is a lesson for every budding sportsman, especially for the young cricketers. Former cricketer and father of former India international Yuvraj Singh, Yograj Singh has recalled some incidents about Vinod Kambli.

Yograj claimed on camera that he warned Kambli multiple times about his bad habits and poor lifestyle, but Kambli was then in a different dimension and did not care about any suggestions.

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Singh said in an interview, "I suggested Vinod Kambli stop partying, smoking cigarettes, and going to the girls; otherwise, you will be finished, and you will be crying." He told me that now he is the king and that my time is over." 

Played his last Test before 24

When Kambli was young and about to come under the spotlight, people were crazy to see his footwork. The Mumbaikar's Test career took very little time to launch. In his first seven Tests, he got two double centuries and two single ones. During that cricketing era, Kambili's batting style and flashy shot-making were new to the cricket world.

Once, he smashed legendary Shane Warne for 22 runs in an over but played his last Test in 1995 before he had turned 24. In fact, he never got the chance to play an ODI match for India after October 2000 and retired from international cricket in 2009. 

Watch the interview here

🚨INSIDESPORT EXCLUSIVE🚨

YOGRAJ SINGH SAID:

“I suggested Vinod Kambli to stop partying, smoking cigarettes and going to the girls, otherwise you will be finished and you will be crying. He told me that now he is the king and that my time was over” #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/hx0KQNBVzC

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) June 11, 2025

Yograj Singh, father of Yuvraj Singh, blasted Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer for his cheap dismissal at the all-important final of IPL 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

When PBKS was looking under control, Iyer threw his wicket cheaply and went back to the dugout for a 2-ball one. Which later proved costly for the team when they lost by only 6 runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Expectations were high for Iyer, especially after his heroic knock in the Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians. But in the summit clash, he fell short for a harmless length delivery from Romario Shepherd. For Yograj, in a final match, the way Iyer dismissed it was a criminal offense. He simply can't tolerate this kind of approach in a title decider match.

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"The shot that Shreyas Iyer played in the final was a criminal offense, according to me. Ashok Mankad told me about this criminal offense, which comes under Section 302. He also told me that the repercussions of this are that you will be banned for two matches. What Shreyas did yesterday is not acceptable. There is no apology for that," Yograj Said.

Shreyas Iyer wants to make a even stronger comeback 

Though the right-handed batter has made an apology to their fans and promises to make an even stronger comeback in the next season. PBKS skipper appreciated his players for the dominating performance Punjab Kings displayed throughout the IPL 2025, and he showed confidence in young talents to claim glory for the team from Punjab. 

"The job is still half done; we have to be here and win the trophy next year. Positives: definitely the way we turned up and every individual stepping up and saying that he can win the match. There are so many youngsters in the team; I'm sure they've gained a lot of experience from these matches. I'm sure when they come next year, they will carry immense experience with them. We can build some tactics and strategies around that so that we can play some decent cricket," Shreyas Iyer said after the match. 

Former Indian cricketer and father of the legendary T20 and ODI World Cup-winning Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Yograj Singh, feels that Rohit Sharma retired too early, like the former Indian opener Virender Sehwag.

Rohit Sharma isn't only a great Indian batter but also one of the greatest captains. He is the only captain to lead a team in all formats of ICC tournament finals. Apart from finishing as the runners-up in the ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 and ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, Rohit Sharma-led India won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025.   

The greatest players should play till 50 years of age: Yograj Singh

Starting his international career as a middle-order batter, Rohit established himself as one of the greatest Indian openers in every format. He has already retired from T20I and Test cricket, and is only active in the ODI format as a captain. While Rohit recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, just before the beginning of India's tour of England, Yograj Singh feels that Rohit and Virender Sehwag should play more international cricket, as they retired earlier despite being the greatest players.

Yograj told ANI, "Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag are two people who retired too early. The greatest players should play till 50 years of age. I'm sad about their retirement, as no one is left to motivate the youngsters now."

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Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag retired after 37 

While Rohit has retired from T20I and Test cricket at the ages of 37 and 38 years, respectively, Sehwag announced his retirement from the game on his 37th birthday. However, unlike the Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Sehwag was already out of the Indian team for more than two years during his retirement from international cricket. 

Rohit and Sehwag both are known for their aggressive batting approaches, which Rohit modified massively lately, while Sehwag had the natural fearless character. At the end of their Test retirement, Sehwag (90 sixes) and Rohit (88 sixes) are standing in the top two positions in the list of most Test sixes by Indians.  

Yuvraj Singh's father, Yograj Singh, has made a huge claim about Arjun Tendulkar's future. Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Yograj believes if his son, Yuvraj Singh, coached Arjun, then junior Tendulkar could be the next Chris Gayle. 

Unlike Sachin, Arjun prepares himself mainly as a bowling all-rounder. Being a child of a sports legend, Arjun had to handle a lot of pressure when he first stepped onto the field in the Mumbai Indians' blue and gold jersey in IPL 2023. 

The left-handed bowler and batter, now 25, so far his career trajectory is pretty underwhelming. He didn't prove his talent enough with Mumbai Indians and in the domestic circuit as well. In 5 matches for the Mumbai-based franchise, he took only 3 wickets and claimed 13 runs in one inning. 

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Keeping an eye on Arjun Tendulkar's career, Yograj Singh predicted the career path can be changed drastically if his son takes the charge. For example, Yograj said about Abhishek Sharma, who was scouted by Yuvraj. Taking one step further, Yograj even said that Arjun can be transformed from a bowler to the next Chris Gayle. 

"With regard to Arjun, I said, Focus less on his bowling and more on his batting. But if Yuvraj—he and Sachin are so close—takes Sachin's son under his wings for three months, I bet he will become the next Chris Gayle. Often it happens that a fast bowler, if he undergoes a stress fracture, cannot bowl as effectively. I think that Arjun should be handed over to Yuvraj for a while," Yograj Singh said in an interview.

Yograj Singh said about Abhishek Sharma's early days

Yograj revealed how Yuvi scouted Sharma from age group tournaments arranged by the Punjab Cricket Association. 

"When we asked about a list of Abhishek Sharma's performances from the PCA and the coaches,. Do you know what they said? Sir, he is a bowler. He bowls. Yuvi said, 'You just look at his performance records.' So, when we saw the record, Abhishek already had 24 hundreds. Yuvi said, 'Why are you giving wrong information? Why? This man has made 24 centuries'. This was six or seven years ago," Yograj informed. 

Indian Team captain Rohit Sharma is considered a global figure in the sports industry. Recently India won their last Champions Trophy league match against New Zealand beating them by 44 runs. The victory of the match wasn't yet slatted another controversy sparked. The Congress spokesperson Mohammad Shama made a controversial statement on Rohit Sharma stating "Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had,

Once the tweet was posted by her it took a mass recognition and flawless comments were flooded on X. This showed the mass outrage of the fans for the person who gave the glory of the second T20 World Cup for India in 2024 which happened in West Indies. After such huge flooded comments, the Congress Party took immediate action and stated that the remarks were from a single-person point of view, neither the party nor its members would degrade our national players and said to remove the tweet. 

Read More: Jos Butler Pens Down From England Captaincy

Shabana Mohammad Deletes The Tweet

After the outrage from fans and ex-cricketers she had to delete the tweet immediately and condemn that she didn't say anything wrong in that. It was a generic remark by her side. She moves on to say she had seen previous captains like Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, Ms Dhoni and Virat Kohli who set the standards by their fitness complex into their captaincy. In a democratic country like India we have all the rights to speak. 

Further concluding she said I am not body shaming anyone here but look at your captain and say what I said wasn't wrong. The current ruling party didn't go back BJP, their spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari too commented on her remark stating Shame on Congress Now they are behind our Indian captain, Now do they expect Rahul Gandhi to play cricket after failing in politics? And using words like mediocre to our captain. 

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 Former Cricketer Yograj Singh Comes For Support

Former cricketer Yograj singh lashed Shabana Mohammad who deligated the Indian captain Rohit Sharma. He said people aren't ashamed stating these types of comments to our cricketers who represent our team globally such people should be given severe punishments. You are from political fertinity you should focus more on that. 

They have no right to say these types of things, Cricket is considered a religion in India there were a lot of things said to our cricketers when they lost against New Zealand and Australia its a game it happens. If I were the Prime Minister of India, I would have asked them to pack their bags and leave my country immediately.