'We need to stop watching television, stop reading newspapers’ – Yuvraj Singh recalls Sachin Tendulkar's golden advice to team during 2011 WC

In the realm of cricket, very few moments shine as brightly as India's triumph in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Amidst the euphoria of that resplendent victory, one man stood out, the indomitable Yuvraj Singh. His stellar all-round performances earned him the coveted Player of the Tournament award. However, as every cricketer knows, the path to glory is fraught with challenges and unexpected setbacks.

One such setback occurred during the group stage when India faced South Africa. In what should have been a straightforward victory, India found themselves on the wrong side of the result, igniting a media frenzy. It was a moment that could have shattered the team's focus. In the midst of this media storm, the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar himself assumed a leadership role beyond his remarkable batting prowess. Yuvraj recounted the sage advice that Tendulkar imparted to the team, 

"We were trying to focus on the game, and in the World Cup, we had lost to South Africa - a game we should have won. The media started to go berserk. Sachin sat down with the team and said, 'We need to stop watching television, stop reading the papers. Use our headphones when we are going through crowds in airports. Just focus on the World Cup'. The team agreed, we just followed that and it really worked," the 41-year-old told The Week.

‘People think only Indian team will win’ – Yuvraj on possessive Indian fan base

This revelation offers a glimpse into the pressure-cooker environment of international cricket, where even the most celebrated players must shield themselves from the relentless scrutiny of the media. It also underscores the importance of unity and single-minded focus in the pursuit of cricketing glory. The southpaw went on to highlight a quintessential aspect of Indian cricket - the unwavering expectations of its fervent fans. He emphasized that while India boasts a formidable team, the World Cup is a grand stage where several other formidable contenders vie for supremacy. In his words,

"Problem with India is that people think only the Indian team will win. It's a big World Cup, there are so many good teams out there, and we got to be really focussed on your tasks at hand,” he stated.