"Always Concerned...": Yuvraj Singh On Sachin Tendulkar's Moving Gesture During His Cancer Treatment

Sachin Tendulkar is not just a cricketing idol for Yuvraj Singh but a "guardian angel" who would offer incredible solutions and lessons in times of crisis, both on and off field. One of India's greatest white ball players and hero of two World Cup triumphs, Yuvraj has been one of Tendulkar's closest friends in the Indian dressing room and for him the maestro is a life coach.

"When I played international cricket, we had coaches but if I faced any technical issues with my batting, he was my 'go-to' person. He provided solutions but he wasn't just my cricketing idol," Yuvraj, currently vacationing in the UK, told PTI ahead of the legend's 50th birthday.

"Beyond 22 yards also, he is like a guardian angel for me. Whenever I have faced any personal crisis or dilemmas in life, Paaji would be one of the first persons that I would dial. And he would always have the best life lessons and advice for me," he said.

He remembered how concerned Tendulkar was when he was having sleepless nights and regularly coughing and vomiting during the 2011 World Cup, which he singlehandedly won for India with more than 350 runs and 15 wickets.

"Even I didn't know it was cancer. Sachin would regularly check on me and also during my treatment in the US, he was always concerned about my recovery." Yuvraj even remembers when he met Tendulkar for the first time and it was the legendary Kapil Dev, who introduced the teenager Tendulkar to schoolboy Yuvraj.

"I think Sachin had then just started playing for India and had become a sensation. It was Kapil Paaji, who took me to Sachin and I shook hands with him for the first time," Yuvraj couldn't recollect the series as he was barely 10 years old then.

For the record, Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh and Kapil