Yuvraj Singh revealed that his relationship with MS Dhoni was primarily centered around cricket rather than off-field friendship, underlining their shared commitment to on-field success.
In a recent interview on the YouTube channel TRS Clips, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh revealed that he and MS Dhoni were not as close off the field as one might expect. Despite their roles in India’s World Cup victories, their friendship mainly revolved around cricket. Yuvraj mentioned that during Dhoni’s captaincy, they had disagreements, but he appreciated Dhoni’s candid advice before the 2019 World Cup when selectors weren’t considering him for the squad.
“Me and Mahi are not close friends. We were friends because of cricket, we played together. Mahi’s lifestyle was very different from mine, so we were never close friends, we were only friends because of cricket,” Yuvraj explained.
The former all-rounder underlined the on-field performance and team commitment over off-field friendships by saying, “Your teammates don’t have to be your best friends off the field. Everybody has a different lifestyle and skill set. Certain people hang out with certain people; you don’t have to be best friends with everyone to perform on the field. When you are on the field, put your ego aside and contribute to the team.”
Yuvraj also cited instances when he and Dhoni supported each other in achieving milestones, like when he ran for Dhoni when he was injured and when the latter helped him reach a fifty by blocking balls in a World Cup match. He further recalled an incident during the 2011 World Cup when he was supposed to bat after Virat Kohli’s dismissal, but Dhoni walked out next, thus highlighting the team’s professional approach to decisions.
“Your teammates don’t have to be your best friends off the field. Everybody has a different lifestyle and skill set. Certain people hang out with certain people; you don’t have to be best friends with everyone to perform on the field. When you are on the field, put your ego aside and contribute to the team,” the two-time Indian Premier League champion noted.
Concluding the interview, Yuvraj expressed his well-wishes for Dhoni by saying, “He is retired, I am retired. When we meet, we meet like friends only not like ‘I don’t want to get to know you’.” He continued to recall an ad shoot he did with the latter to emphasize his pleasant rapport with Dhoni by saying, “We shot an ad together too, and had fun talking about our past days.”
Last Updated on November 5, 2023
