Yuvraj Singh wants cricketers to take up golf from an early age to deal with the stress of cricket.
Yuvraj, a World Cup-winning former India all-rounder, has long retired from the game. But the 44-year-old, who has turned into an avid golfer post retirement, now thinks that if he had played golf during his playing days, it would have helped him deal with the pressure of professional cricket better.
“They (cricketers) should play golf along with cricket. I should have played golf earlier, which would have helped me in cricket. Golf actually helps you unwind, take stress out of you,” Yuvraj, who’s the brand ambassador of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), said on Thursday.
“For example, all foreign cricketers, Australians, Kiwis, English, South Africans,
all have been playing golf since they were young kids,” he added.
Yuvraj was speaking at an event where the 10 franchises of the IGPL were unveiled.
The hero of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning campaign thinks that golf, considered
an elite sport, should be played at the school level so that it
is accessible for all from a young age.
“We see golf as an elite sport, but we want every kid of India to try golf. We are trying to take golf to schools... I feel that every child should try every sport.
“I know cricket is our biggest game, but golf is also an exciting game, which everyone should try. As someone who has represented India, I want to help in other sports as well,” he said.
This year’s IGPL will have 10 franchises and 15 events across the year, including five overseas tournaments — Mauritius, Congo, South Africa and two in Morocco. Indian tennis great Leander Paes is a co-owner of the Calcutta franchise of the IGPL.
Yuvraj hopes the IGPL will help popularise the sport in India. “The league (IGPL) will make this game exciting,” he said.
With inputs from PTI
