What's this controversy about you not getting along well with Sangakkara and the rift in the Kings XI Punjab team?
(Laughs) I have played enough to know how things get nicely publicized. Usually when the team is expected to do well but for some reason falls below expectation, disgruntled elements indulge in character assassination. Frankly speaking, it's not the job of a cricketer to get up in the morning, read sensational stuff about oneself and go on clarifying.
But why not clarify once in a while?
I will have to employ a secretary because some sort of glamour is attached to my personality. I am told that when India won in England in 1971 there was a motorcade in Mumbai and three years later when they lost, people threw stones at captain (Ajit) Wadekar's house. So there's nothing new about sensational stories which have damaged enough careers.
Looks like your owners aren't happy with you...
Do you mean to say only because Yuvraj isn't scoring, my team is losing? Players of some of the other teams too aren't performing. Had they performed, their teams wouldn't have suffered heavy defeats but to the media Yuvraj is a whipping boy. If the media is happy doing what it's doing, I don't have the resources and time to stop them. A cricketer's job is to perform consistently. If I had not performed, do you think I would have been playing international cricket for so long?
So you feel media is a spoilsport?
That's for people in the media to introspect. They are behaving like moral police. Are they an authority on everything? They keep speculating about my private life and then they expect me to cooperate with them. If sensational stuff helps them make good business so be it. I guess credibility of some of them is at a discount. But there are quite a few in the media who command respect because of their responsible work.
Do you think you indulging in late night parties is creating problems?
Am I the only one enjoying parties? Are others in 'early to bed and early to rise' category? So when I don't get runs, I am a bad boy. And when I attend a party but still get runs then I am a good boy. Don't underestimate the modern generation. They know what they are doing. Look at the Indian team, we are a happy bunch of performers. We are No. 1.
Is it true that your wrist injury has contributed to you not getting runs?
May be to some extent. But which international cricketer worth his salt would like to damage his reputation by not performing? I have been suffering from hand injuries for the past one year. Something or the other is happening.
You went to Australia for treatment. What did the doctor say?
He said I should gradually get into playing and I would be OK but I hardly got to do that before the IPL.
What about your Yuvraj Singh Foundation?
(Laughs) Thank you for asking. Sometime I too do some charity work and spend time with kids who need love and affection. The foundation takes care of over 200 underprivilged chidren and has organized many events. The smile I see on their faces makes me very happy. I am a part of the society and I do owe something to the society.
When do we get to watch a fit Yuvraj entertaining the viewers?
Give me some time and I will be back in form.
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