Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma go back a long way. Both were part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad. While Yuvraj Singh was at the peak of his career at that time, Rohit Sharma was just starting out. What followed was a great bond. Rohit always revered Yuvraj. He even narrated an interesting incident on the Kapil Sharma show. “When I first came into the side, I got up in the team bus and unfortunately sat down at his seat. That became a problem. I did not know players have their preferred seats. So, Yuvi pa being Yuvi pa just made eye contact with me and gestured me to move. RP Singh was sitting behind me and he explained that it was Yuvraj’s seat. I thought I missed the name written on the seat,” Rohit recalled the story with a smile. “He liked to scare people. He liked scarring us,” he added leaving the audience in splits.

Yuvraj witnessed Rohit’s journey since the 37-year-old made his debut for the Indian team as a teenager way back in 2007. Recalling his first impressing of the flamboyant opener, Yuvraj joked: “Very poor English.”

“Very funny guy. From the streets of Borivali (in Mumbai), we always tease him. But a great guy at heart,” he told ICC.

Yuvraj’s final season as an active cricketer came under Rohit’s captaincy at MI. “The more success he’s had, he has never changed as a person. That’s the beauty of Rohit Sharma. Fun-loving, always having fun with the guys, A great leader on the park and one of my closest friends from cricket,” Yuvraj said. “I really want to see Rohit Sharma with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup medal. He really deserves it.”

Yuvraj Singh who wishes to see his “close friend” win the elusive T20 World Cup next month.
Besides reaching the final of the 50-over World Cup and the WTC Final last year, India made the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup under Rohit’s captaincy.

The opener is set to lead the ‘Men in Blue’ once again at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, starting on June 2.

“(Rohit’s presence is going to be) very crucial. I think we need a really good captain, a sensible captain who takes decisions well under pressure. And he’s the one to take them,” Yuvraj, who is the T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador, told ICC.

The World Cup 2023 final loss to Australia saw India’s quest for an ICC title stretch to 10 years with their last victory dating back to the Champions Trophy in 2013 under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Yuvraj feels India needs someone with Rohit’s expertise to lead the Indian team at the marquee event.

“He was the captain when we lost in the (Cricket World Cup) 50-over final (in 2023). He has won five IPL trophies as a captain. I think we need somebody like him to captain India.”

With PTI inputs