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Indian cricket great Yuvraj Singh has suggested that his mentees Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma take up golf during the IPL, believing the sport could help them enhance their cricket performances. Yuvraj, the hero of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup triumphs, enjoys playing golf after retirement from cricket, like many other cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Brian Lara.
Yuvraj admitted that the current jam-packed schedule doesn’t allow cricketers such liberty, but advised them to play some golf during the IPL.
“I have told them to play golf and I encourage them to play. It’s very hard to find time, but I think the IPL is a good time for them to actually find time and hit some balls,” Yuvraj said at an event.
The legendary all-rounder believes cricket stars must find their own ways to stay fresh and improve, and for some, golf could be that answer. He encouraged players like Shubman and Abhishek to embrace the sport, highlighting how it helps athletes unwind, sharpen their minds, and stay mentally balanced—something top cricketers worldwide have long benefitted from.
“It’s up to them. Now they are superstars of the game and they have to decide what’s going to help them be better. If golf can be something, then they have to decide that. But I encourage all athletes to play golf. I think it’s a great way to unwind and it’s great for the mind.”
“I feel that any sport that helps you relax is going to be less taxing on the body and more fruitful for the mind. If you see the culture of golf in Australia, South Africa, England—majority of the best cricketers have played golf from a very young age. But how can you recover and be mentally fresh for a game? So I just feel it’s not just cricket. For any sportsperson in the world, they should play golf because eventually it will bring out the best in them in their sport,” he added.
“I would have scored 3,000 more runs”
Yuvraj, who scored over 11,500 international runs, asserted that he took up golf early in his career he would have added 3000 runs more.
“I would have scored 3,000 more runs,” said Yuvraj.
The 43-year-old said that too much practice sometimes doesn’t work for players.
“I tell all the young cricketers to try and play golf, hit the ball, see how you feel. Because sometimes too much practice is also not good for you. Sometimes when you’re not scoring runs, you want to practice more, and with golf as well, you want to hit more balls. But sometimes it’s good to relax,” he said.
