Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Conversation between Afridi and Yuvraj of the former's YouTube channel.
Afridi "We have played a lot of cricket together and we have a friendship off the field. I also have a lot of fans who are big fans of Yuvi. The way you recovered after your treatment and came back to cricket, that was a big effort. How did you motivate yourself at the time?"
Yuvi "I remember when I was sick, Twitter had just begun. I was in America. Whenever I tweeted, I got a lot of love from Pakistan. Indians obviously also gave a lot of love but Pakistan's people also did and I would like to thank all the fans for that.
"It was a tough time because cricket is everything for a cricketer. As a cricketer, you don't think about being sick and saving your life. As a cricketer, I was thinking about how to play my cricket.
"My mother, close friends and family supported me a lot and kept me positive. I read Lance Armstrong's book also about recovering from cancer. There were a lot of motivating factors, many players and people came to visit me as well. I think the advantage was also that I was away from India, away from the media and I could focus on my health. It was a tough time but God gave me strength to come out of that."
Afridi "This guy never lost hope. He kept fighting with himself and it was his willpower that brought him back into the ground. There are a lot of challenges in life. Don't ever be scared of failures. You learn a lot and stand on your feet. Keep fighting, that's most important."
Yuvi "I have a cancer foundation and we are doing quite a lot of work. We have 150 kids who had cancer, their parents spent their savings on their treatment so they don't have money for their studies, so our foundation funds them. We offer treatment to kids below the poverty line.
"I had cancer at the 3.5th stage almost and I recovered from that so why can't others? That's a motivating factor. I try to motivate people but it's difficult, there's a 60-65% chance of survival."
Afridi "Do you want India to visit Pakistan or vice versa?"
Yuvi "When I started playing cricket, in the World Cup I faced Pakistan and the energy and level was different. Then in the mid-2000s, India went to Pakistan and we had some great series. The level of cricket and intensity is something that you don't see otherwise."
Afridi "Currently, the Indian team after IPL is at such a stage where there's so much talent that they can create 2 teams."
Yuvi "In this generation, we have 2-3 really good batsmen like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma who are grooming the young players. The Indian team also has good fast-bowlers who bowl 140+ and we have good ARs like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, our leg-spinners are good.
"If you look at Pakistan, Australia's teams at one point, they were a full, complete team and I think the reason for our success is that our team has every skill so there is consistency in results.
Afridi "The good thing is that your ex-cricketers have involvement and then talent from IPL doesn't take pressure even in front of massive crowds. They play with confidence. We have a few fast-bowlers like Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Hasnain, these are good bowlers and we have Babar Azam who is a great batsman and you will enjoy watching the likes of Abid Ali.
"My wish is for India-Pakistan series to continue, I think it can be bigger than the Ashes if we have some Test and ODIs every year."
Yuvi "I would like to send a lot of love to Pakistani fans. I would like to say that keep watching cricket, keep sending us your love and keep praying for us."
Afridi "We have played a lot of cricket together and we have a friendship off the field. I also have a lot of fans who are big fans of Yuvi. The way you recovered after your treatment and came back to cricket, that was a big effort. How did you motivate yourself at the time?"
Yuvi "I remember when I was sick, Twitter had just begun. I was in America. Whenever I tweeted, I got a lot of love from Pakistan. Indians obviously also gave a lot of love but Pakistan's people also did and I would like to thank all the fans for that.
"It was a tough time because cricket is everything for a cricketer. As a cricketer, you don't think about being sick and saving your life. As a cricketer, I was thinking about how to play my cricket.
"My mother, close friends and family supported me a lot and kept me positive. I read Lance Armstrong's book also about recovering from cancer. There were a lot of motivating factors, many players and people came to visit me as well. I think the advantage was also that I was away from India, away from the media and I could focus on my health. It was a tough time but God gave me strength to come out of that."
Afridi "This guy never lost hope. He kept fighting with himself and it was his willpower that brought him back into the ground. There are a lot of challenges in life. Don't ever be scared of failures. You learn a lot and stand on your feet. Keep fighting, that's most important."
Yuvi "I have a cancer foundation and we are doing quite a lot of work. We have 150 kids who had cancer, their parents spent their savings on their treatment so they don't have money for their studies, so our foundation funds them. We offer treatment to kids below the poverty line.
"I had cancer at the 3.5th stage almost and I recovered from that so why can't others? That's a motivating factor. I try to motivate people but it's difficult, there's a 60-65% chance of survival."
Afridi "Do you want India to visit Pakistan or vice versa?"
Yuvi "When I started playing cricket, in the World Cup I faced Pakistan and the energy and level was different. Then in the mid-2000s, India went to Pakistan and we had some great series. The level of cricket and intensity is something that you don't see otherwise."
Afridi "Currently, the Indian team after IPL is at such a stage where there's so much talent that they can create 2 teams."
Yuvi "In this generation, we have 2-3 really good batsmen like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma who are grooming the young players. The Indian team also has good fast-bowlers who bowl 140+ and we have good ARs like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, our leg-spinners are good.
"If you look at Pakistan, Australia's teams at one point, they were a full, complete team and I think the reason for our success is that our team has every skill so there is consistency in results.
Afridi "The good thing is that your ex-cricketers have involvement and then talent from IPL doesn't take pressure even in front of massive crowds. They play with confidence. We have a few fast-bowlers like Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Hasnain, these are good bowlers and we have Babar Azam who is a great batsman and you will enjoy watching the likes of Abid Ali.
"My wish is for India-Pakistan series to continue, I think it can be bigger than the Ashes if we have some Test and ODIs every year."
Yuvi "I would like to send a lot of love to Pakistani fans. I would like to say that keep watching cricket, keep sending us your love and keep praying for us."
