After the 2011 World Cup match loss to South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar delivered a team speech, which Yuvraj Singh remembers.
On October 8, Team India will face Australia in Chennai to start its 2023 World Cup campaign. The team will also play England and the Netherlands in two pre-tournament warm-up games. In the lead-up to the major event, Rohit Sharma’s team had some standout performances. They won the Asia Cup earlier this month and then defeated Australia 2-1 in a three-match ODI series. Yuvraj Singh, a former all-rounder for India, has provided insights into how the 2011 World Cup-winning squad dealt with pressure throughout their campaign. Despite being in excellent form, managing the pressure of a home World Cup brings unique obstacles.
Yuvraj said that although social media wasn’t as common at the time (2011) as it is now, it didn’t stop media and public scrutiny from becoming too much for the Indian team, especially after a discouraging loss to South Africa. The renowned Sachin Tendulkar intervened, asking for a key team meeting after sensing the squad’s need to restore its focus.
“Now, distraction is a little more prevalent because social media wasn’t around then. The media and people were a distraction. We were attempting to concentrate on the match, and we were losing to South Africa in the world cup—a game we ought to have won. The media went bananas at this point. We need to quit watching television and reading the newspapers, Sachin said the group as they sat down. Utilise our headphones as we navigate airport crowds. Just pay attention to the World Cup. The team concurred, so we simply followed their lead, and it succeeded, Yuvraj recounted.
“Because there is a lot of pressure already. India’s problem is that people believe that only their team would succeed. There are a lot of talented teams competing in this World Cup, so it’s important to stay totally focused on the task at hand.
In Guwahati, Team India arrives
Prior to their exhibition match against England planned for September 30, the Indian squad arrived in Guwahati on Thursday. Axar Patel, an experienced spinner who was added to India’s 15-person World Cup squad earlier in the day to fill his spot, joined the team in Guwahati as well.
