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Wanted to play 100 Test matches: Yuvraj Singh opens up on his red-ball career ambitions

Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been one of the finest white-ball players for the Indian team. After being a key performer in the 2007 T20 World Cup, he was named 'Player of the Series' in the 2011 ICC World Cup as well.


The southpaw featured in 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is, scoring over 9000 runs and taking close to 140 wickets. However, he featured in only 40 Test matches during his career. 


In a recent interaction, the ex-Indian all-rounder felt he could not get enough chances in the Test format. The Chandigarh star reckoned that a player receives 10-15 games to showcase their talent in the present times. In comparison, the case was altogether different in his era, with the presence of titans such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman in the middle-order. 


"If you compare that era to today's era, you can see players getting 10-15 matches," Yuvraj said during an interview on 'Home of Heroes' on Sports18. 


"You look at that era, you could open like the way Viru started it. After that Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly, and Laxman. I got a hundred in Lahore and in the next Test I was told to open," he added. 


The multiple world title winner further admitted that he was diagnosed with cancer when he was gradually cementing his place in the Indian Test team after Ganguly's retirement. The retired cricketer also suggested that he wanted to appear in 100 Test matches for the country. 


"Eventually, when I got opportunities to play Test cricket after Dada's retirement, I got diagnosed with cancer," he said. "It has just been bad luck. I tried 24x7. I wanted to play 100 Test matches, face those fast bowlers, and bat for two days. I gave it everything, but it was not meant to be," the 40-year old added. 


The flamboyant batter's last appearance in the Test format was against England at Kolkata in 2012. In 40 appearances, he amassed 1900 runs, with three tons and 11 half-centuries, with the top score of 169 against Pakistan in 2007.

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Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan are better than Kohli, Bumrah and Pant, says Aqib Javed

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