Calcutta: Yuvraj Singh, one of the heroes of India's 2011 World Cup success, and a fighter out of the ordinary, spoke to The Telegraph for around 30 minutes late on Wednesday.

Excerpts...

Q Till early June last year, after that quality 53 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, you were the toast of India. Not many weeks later, you were out of the team. What happened?

A You tell me... Look, I cannot be commenting on selection matters... At some point after the tour of the West Indies, which followed the Champions Trophy, a message was conveyed that I had to improve on my fitness and on my fielding. The Yo-Yo test also had to be cleared.

Q You'd got injured in the West Indies?

A Indeed, I picked up a left hamstring injury.

Q Word spread that you (and Suresh Raina) had failed the Yo-Yo test...

A I scored 15.2, when 16.1 is the requirement... On December 3, I cleared the Yo-Yo test with 16.1. Fitness-wise, therefore, I'm eligible for selection.

Q At 36, will it now be increasingly difficult to make a comeback?

A (Emotionally) It has always been difficult for me, more so after cancer was detected (in 2011-2012), but I've never given up. A comeback may be difficult, but not impossible. It's all a matter of self-belief... Look at Roger Federer, he's 36 and the world No.2. Federer is playing because he loves tennis, is enjoying it. Not for anything else. I'm not Federer, but I've just made a point.

Q Is Federer an inspiration?

A Why not? In India, once you cross 35, people start saying you should retire. I have the self-belief that I can continue till 2020, at least. Federer has the self-belief that he can continue to win admirers across the globe.

Q Does this self-belief keep driving you?

A Self-belief and the enjoyment I get by playing cricket. Cricket has been my life.

Q Do you brood?

A One does get upset, it's only natural... I did brood (on getting dropped last July), but had to take a call on whether to keep brooding or to work on my fielding and on my fitness. As a professional, I had to respect and act on what had been conveyed to me by the selectors. I worked hard, spent four weeks at the NCA in Bangalore, had two sessions a day. I chose to get better, physically, not keep brooding. It's about the choices one makes.

Q Whether it is for India or Punjab or an IPL franchise, is there far too much pressure on you to deliver?

A Definitely. However, I don't mind the pressure for, on most occasions, I have done well under pressure. I need a challenge to perform a step higher.

Q Surely, trying to make another comeback would today be seen as a challenge...

A Yes, but as I've said, not impossible... I'm looking to play for India till the 2019 World Cup and, generally, till the 2020 IPL. After that, a call will be made.

Q Haven't you always had to prove yourself?

A A comeback means starting all over again, so it is very much about having to prove myself over and over again. I've come through a life-changing illness and, post the treatment for cancer, have continued to put in that 100 per cent. You've known me from the start of my (India) career... I just don't give up.

Q Has it been tough living up to those six sixes in an over, back in the inaugural World T20, 11 years ago? Would it have been better had you struck Stuart Broad for four and not six sixes?

A (Laughs) I'm glad I hit six and not four. Had I managed four sixes only, then nobody would have remembered me! We were under some pressure against England and I had to do something. It was a challenging time and I love such situations. Why play sport if a challenge cannot be accepted?

Q You're in your 18th year as an India cricketer. Thoughts on your career?

A There are two sides to any coin and one must look at both. That I've had such a long career is a blessing, that I could come back after cancer is a blessing too... I wish I'd played more Test cricket, but all the greats were there for the first eight years of my career. Then, when Sourav (Ganguly) retired, and there was an opening, I had health issues leading to the detection of cancer... There's no regret as such and I consider myself fortunate to have played for India over 400 times and scored close to 12,000 runs.

[Yuvraj has made 40 Test appearances, played 304 ODIs and worn the India blue in 58 T20Is.]

Q The laws of the game have changed, there's a new format... How else has cricket changed?

A Because of the T20 format, cricket has become very challenging for us players. A high level of fitness is demanded, so physically, there's a much bigger demand on the body... The pace has, of course, got much faster... Yeah, there's much that has changed from October 2000 till now.

Q Well, how is marriage to Hazel treating you?

A Good... Life has changed for the better and I socialise less. Better to play and/or work out at the gym and then get back to the wife at home.

Q Is Hazel more into cricket now or does she still keep a distance from the game?

A Hazel usually watches me play and, when she cannot leave Mumbai because of her own work, then she checks on how I have done. That much Hazel does regularly.

Q The YouWeCan Foundation is doing plenty of good...

A For me, it has been a way of giving something back to society, especially the children who've fought cancer and do not hail from a privileged background.

Q Lastly... I saw your sweet tweet on the National Girl Child Day... Thankfully, you don't tweet on anything and everything under the sun... You are quite selective in tweeting. Has it been a conscious decision?

A I tweet on subjects that make sense, tweet on issues which may lead to better human beings in our midst. I tweet when I'm convinced that it would, in a small way, help society. I tweet with a purpose.