How Yuvraj Singh passed Yo-Yo and missed farewell match

India’s World Cup 2011 hero Yuvraj hung up his boots on Monday; he revealed that he was promised a farewell match only if he failed the high endurance fitness test.

Yuvraj Singh poses with the Indian cricket team jersey after announcing his retirement from international cricket in Mumbai on Monday.

As Yuvraj Singh addressed the media after announcing his retirement on Monday, he was asked whether he had spoken to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about a farewell match.

But Yuvraj revealed that he was ‘promised’ a farewell game only if he failed the Yo-Yo test. However, he cleared the test and there was no official sendoff.

“I was told that if you are not able to pass the Yo-Yo test, you would get a farewell game,” the 37-year-old said.

“I did not tell anyone in BCCI that I have to play the last match. If I was good enough, I would have retired from the ground. Aur mujhe is tarha ki cricket khelna pasand nahi hai, ki mujhe ek match chahiye (I don’t like to ask for a game, I have never played the game with that mindset),” Yuvraj added.

READ| Emotional Yuvraj thanks team-mates in farewell speech

“That time, I had said that I don’t want a retirement game and that if I fail the Yo-Yo test, I will go home silently. I passed the test, and then, rest is not my call.”

The Yo-Yo is a must-pass fitness test for Team India. It is used to measure an athlete’s endurance by making him sprint between cones, set 20 metres apart, following the sound of a beep.

“See I am sure now I’ll have a lot of time to discuss these things, I’ll have a lot to say. I am not saying right now because India is playing the World Cup and I don’t want any controversies,” Yuvraj remained tight-lipped.

“I want the players to be in the best space, to go in the last four, so I am sure my time will come to speak. I don’t want to be in that space. I have just retired because I want to move on in my life,” said Yuvraj, who played a key role in the World Cup win in 2011.

Yuvraj’s message for youngsters “I see a lot of younger guys getting a lot of money in IPL. It’s a bit hard to control them in the dressing room especially. Sometime they are getting money a bit too easily, without really appreciating it. “When you talk to them, they don’t listen. Honestly, 20 years ago, I also did not listen. It’s a learning process, they will learn themselves. It is important that they focus on cricket and focus on playing for India. They should focus on playing four-day Ranji Trophy. These days, there are lot of young guys who don’t focus on four-day cricket. They want to play T20, they want to play IPL. Obviously, the money is there but I think they need to focus on playing four-day cricket if they want to play for India.”