Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh feels that he should have started playing golf much earlier in his life. Yuvraj, India’s two-time World Cup-winning star believes that playing golf earlier in his life could have helped him add “at least 3,000 more runs” to his international tally and he advised his proteges, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, to embrace the sport.
Interestingly, former India captain Kapil Dev once said that golf had such a positive influence on his cricket that he might have scored “an additional 2,000 runs” in his career had he taken up the sport during his playing days.
“I agree with Kapil Paaji, he said 2,000, I would have scored 3,000 more runs. Now the rules have changed in international cricket. In cricket, you don’t get another opportunity. In golf, if you play a bad shot, you can still hit a good shot and come back on the hole,” Yuvraj said while speaking at the launch event of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) in the national capital on Thursday.
Notably, a growing number of Indian cricketers, both past and present, are swapping their cricket whites for golf attire, finding a second sporting passion on the lush greens of golf courses, nowadays.
Yuvraj Singh Pitches Golf To Shubman Gill & Abhishek Sharma
Yuvraj Singh, who is the co-owner and brand ambassador of the IGPL, was also asked whether his wards Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma should play golf or not. The 43-year-old feels Indian Premier League (IPL) is a good time for Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma to try their hands at golf.
“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.
“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,” he added.
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How Does Golf Help Cricketers?
Yuvraj Singh, who played a key role in India’s victory at the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup, feels golf helps cricketers to relax.
“I feel that any sport that helps you relax is going to be less taxing on the body, more fruitful for the mind. If you see the culture of golf, speaking of Australia, South Africa, England – majority of the best cricketers have played golf from a very young age,” said Yuvraj.
“You see a lot of these guys actually play a lot of golf and less cricket practice during tours. You can’t change something in a game in three days. But how can you recover and be mentally fresh for a game? So I just feel it’s not just cricket. For any sporting person who plays any sport in the world, they should play golf because eventually it will bring out the best in them in their sport.
“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 added.