‘It was bit of a shock’ - Yuvraj Singh on still being 'careful' around Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Kumble

Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh expressed that he was quite intimidated by the presence of the senior members in the team India camp. The southpaw made his debut in 2000 in the ICC Champions Trophy as he was alongside the likes of senior figures such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, and Sourav Ganguly.

The former all-rounder was present at an event with Viacom18 Sports in Mumbai for the launch of South Africa's new franchise league SA20. Present alongside his former teammate Anil Kumble, Yuvraj spilled the beans on his formative years and how he was taken aback by having the senior players as his teammates.

“After 20 years, I still have to be careful about what I say in front of him (Kumble). I think it was a bit of a shock, to be honest. There's Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar, and the likes of Ganguly (in the dressing room),” said Yuvraj as quoted by HT.

IPL has made youngsters more comfortable: Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj further stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped bridge the gap between the youngsters and the presence of the senior players in the squad.

"There are all these guys you're watching on television as a kid and straightaway, you were in the dressing room with them. You had to ask the coach to not be seated next to them. The coach used to say they're your teammates so you have to sit next to them. So, it took a while to start talking to them. But what the IPL has done is that the youngsters are now more comfortable around the players," he added.

The star left-hander played an integral role in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and has won numerous titles during his stint with the national team. Furthermore, the southpaw who carved out a name for himself in the national team setup has played with many notable players such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma among others during his professional career.