Yuvraj Singh, the man who was India’s most decisive player in its two men’s World Cup wins this century, was in Kolkata on January 13 to announce the launch of his High Performance Centre with Merlin Rise at the Rise Sports Republic. The southpaw held a press conference at Taj Taal Kutir in New Town to talk about his latest project in partnership with the Merlin Group in the presence of Saket Mohta, managing director of the Merlin Group. Besides going into details on what to expect from his new venture, Yuvraj also discussed various cricketing topics ahead of the next edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June.
What is the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence all about?
‘We’re elated to have cricket icon Yuvraj Singh amongst us at Merlin Rise,’ said Saket Mohta Merlin Projects
Located at Merlin Rise Sports Republic in Rajarhat, the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence (which also has centres in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab) will entail a high-performance centre tol help youngsters across Bengal get access to the best facilities and coaches and enhance their skills as part of an intensive one-year advanced training programme. The programme is designed by Yuvraj and his coaching panel, which includes BCCI-certified coaches, physiotherapists and trainers.
“This is a significant step towards our mission of creating a world-class sports ecosystem in India. I’m delighted to bring this centre to Kolkata, which has a rich sporting heritage. The aim is to help youngsters between 10 and 19 grow and develop their game, to provide them with the conditioning required to get to a higher level quicker. Often enough, young talents end up going to other states or even abroad to get the best possible training. But through this partnership with Merlin Rise, we want to tell them that you have the best facilities available in Kolkata to use and flourish,” said Yuvraj.
“We’ll be having indoor and outdoor facilities, a gym and even boarding facilities for players coming from outside. Video analysis will also be available to guide the players. We’ll begin with 80 youngsters and the numbers will grow along with the facilities,” explained Yuvraj. In addition, customised modules, personalised coaching, continued guidance on a balanced diet, a nutrition-based lifestyle, fitness tests and mental conditioning sessions will also be incorporated into the programme. Yuvraj himself will monitor the progress of the players through regular video interactions.
“Sports as a career has assumed greater significance in today’s world and Merlin as a group is committed to honing the skills of students for a lucrative career in sports. With the launch of this centre in Kolkata, we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing cricketing talent from West Bengal and eastern India, empowering the next generation of athletes to excel nationally and internationally,” said Sushil Mohta, chairperson of the Merlin Group. Saket Mohta also shared his enthusiasm regarding the partnership, stating: “We’re elated to have cricket icon Yuvraj Singh amongst us at Merlin Rise. We look forward to nurturing young talent and helping them realise their full potential under the guidance of Yuvraj Singh.”
Yuvraj wants Ranbir Kapoor in his biopic
Yuvraj teased about a potential biopic being in the works Amit Datta
Segueing to other topics, Yuvraj joked that he had “asked Ashish Nehra (coach of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL) for a job, which he declined”, before clarifying that “my focus right now is on helping my children grow”. On the hot-button topic of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to play T20Is for India and potentially taking up space for younger batters, Yuvraj broke into a song: “Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge…” Yuvraj proceeded to acknowledge that as important as rest is for those playing all three formats, “Rohit and Virat are quality players who can’t be dropped and will be crucial if India have to win the T20 World Cup”.
Addressing India’s losing streak in ICC knockout games, Yuvraj said: “There seems to be something that happens in finals. The physical preparation is there, but mentally, there are moments we crumble under pressure. I was talking to some youngsters about tackling pressure in big moments. We have capable batters and bowlers, but at the end of the day it can’t be down to one or two guys [to win big games]. We need to work towards solving the issue of taking on pressure in the coming years so that we don’t keep faltering at the final step.”
Lastly, for a man who has hit six sixes, won two World Cups and returned to play for India after overcoming cancer, a biopic for Yuvraj seems like a no-brainer. Asked whom Yuvraj would like to see play himself on the big screen, Yuvraj said: “Ranbir [Kapoor] was fantastic in Animal. It was a very powerful role. For my biopic, I’d pick Ranbir… I’m not giving away anything yet but you might get to hear some exciting news soon,” concluded Yuvraj.
