Star Indian batter Yuvraj Singh is widely regarded as among the greatest cricketers the country has produced, especially in white-ball cricket, but a lesser-known fact about him is that during his childhood, he was a roller skating enthusiast and even won a gold medal in the U-14 national championships.
In a recent interaction, the Indian cricket legend revealed that while his interest remained in skating, his father (Yograj Singh) gave him no chance but to quit the sport. Yuvraj revealed that Yograj threw both his medals and skates from a car and ensured that his full focus was redirected to cricket.
"I did not want to play in the heat; I would look like Michael Vaughan. My father was hell-bent; I played cricket because he did not play cricket for long, and he wanted to live his dream through me. I won a gold medal; the gold medal went out of the car with my skates. He was like, 'No more roller skating from now.'
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"I used to hate playing cricket in the heat. It's okay to play on the streets, but playing six hours a day was not nice. But I guess I had good hand-eye coordination, and he kind of saw that. For the next eight years, he was excruciating on me. That's the reason why I played for India when I was 18 and a half. He kind of prepared me for those situations," said Yuvraj on the Club Prairie Fire Podcast during a chat with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan.
"Just for clarity, you received the gold medal. Off the podium, into the car, and on the way home, the old boy winds the window down, not only does he throw the skates out but the gold medal also," Gilchrist questioned Yuvraj.
"Yes. I went looking for it the next day, just to find it," Yuvraj replied.
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Yuvraj Singh's Incredible Cricket Career
Aged 18, Yuvraj made his debut for India in the 2000 ICC Knockout Cup against Kenya in Nairobi. His first innings in international cricket was against Gilchrist-starrer Australia in the quarterfinal, where he caught the world's imagiation with a flamboyant knock of 84 in 80 balls.
Overall, Yuvraj played 40 Tests, 304 ODIs, and 58 T20Is for India before last playing for India in 2017 and retiring in 2019. He was the star of India's 2007 T20 World Cup win and won the Player of the Tournament (POTM) when the Men in Blue clinched the trophy in the 2011 World Cup.