Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI, May 31: He continues to harbour hopes of captaining the Indian cricket team some day but Yuvraj Singh insists that being overlooked for the job has not created any rift between him and incumbent M S Dhoni and speculation about a rivalry between the two is baseless.
"I think things like rivalry and confrontations are talks stirred up by the media. Me and Dhoni are very good friends and help each other at any time because we understand how the game has to be played," Yuvraj said in a TV interview.
Yuvraj, however, admitted that he still desires to lead the team but would never let his personal ambitions come in the way of team's good.
"It is an honour to captain the Indian cricket team, I also wish to be the captain but the most important thing is to do what is good for the team and what are your goals as a team. I think, what the team wants is more important than personal desires," he explained.
Yuvraj, who led the race for captaincy before Dhoni was surprisingly handed the reins, said Dhoni has the backing of the team and rubbished talks of a rift in the team.
"Dhoni is very young. He came in 3-4 years after I had started playing and he is captaining the Indian cricket team and as a youngster he needs the support of the team and the team likes him a lot. He is a very cool headed person which is very necessary for a captain," he said.
Captaining one of the most successful franchises in the Indian Premier League, Yuvraj said it was a high-pressure job with the owners turning on the heat on teams that failed to live up to expectations.
"As a franchise, an owner must understand the game of cricket. Someone who hasn't played cricket cannot understand the game. And it is not easy to endure the pressure we come under," he said.
The left-hander had a word of advice for the owners getting impatient with their teams - have faith in the players and understand the kind of pressure they endure on field.
"Every team makes an effort, no one likes to lose. The franchises are successful people in their own field and they don't like to lose which is good but they should also understand the kind of pressure we have to put up with," he said.
Yuvraj felt IPL was a revolutionary concept but on the downside the amount of travelling during the league was certainly a cause of concern.
"... definitely the players have to work more and subsequently keep themselves fit. The travelling has increased so much that each player is even more accountable," he pointed out.
On the increasing display of aggression on the field, Yuvraj said no player needs to be told where to draw the line as they understand the importance of keeping their temper under control.
"Every one knows that anger is something that should be under your control in crucial situations. I believe that there should be a balance of everything in life. But where aggression is concerned it is within the player itself.
"An aggressive player has always been like that. It is in his nature. One should not cross the limits. Aggression and pomp is fine within its limits," he said.