Here's what Yuvraj Singh's mother Shabnam Singh said on his equation with Virat Kohli

New Delhi: Once considered as one of India’s fittest all-rounders and entrusted with patrolling the backward point region, Yuvraj Singh’s recent form has put his position in the Indian Team in a spot of bother.

The southpaw last featured during India’s tour of the West Indies in July and since then, there have been speculations regarding his below-par fitness being the reason for his omission from Virat Kohli’s side.

Few reports even sparked rumours about Team India skipper Kohli’s hand in his exclusion, but the canard has been swept aside by Yuvraj Singh’s mother, Shabnam Singh.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, Shabnam backed Kohli’s decision to select his set of players and stated that the Team India talisman has always stood by her son.

“Virat has always supported Yuvraj. And when someone as fit like him is at the helm, he would surely want the environment around him to be the same which is a good thing. The age factor does come up with Yuvi but I’m sure he will work harder to achieve the same,” Shabnam said.

“There has been a level of improvement and he will soon match up to the current fitness standards. Of course, he was disappointed on not being picked but then the rules are the same for everyone. He doesn’t give up easily and I’m sure he looks forward to this as a challenge. If you see over the recent years,” she added.

With doubts looming over the 35-year-old’s inclusion for the 2019 ICC World Cup, Yuvraj’s mother stated her son deserved more respect and that he has nothing to prove.

“He has nothing left to prove. He has won the World Cup and he even won the IPL last year. But it’s his love and hunger for the game which drives him to continue contributing towards his nation. Also, I don’t think anyone has the right to ask him when to retire. It’s his decision and whenever he feels he has done enough, he will do that,” Shabnam concluded.

Having stressed the importance of peak fitness levels, chief selector MSK Prasad and head coach Ravi Shastri have trimmed the current lot with young and fit players, in all the three formats. Regardless of whatever is in store for the future, it is likely that fitness standards will be non-negotiable.