Yograj Singh says he told Yuvraj Singh to ‘change the breed’ while marrying, calls daughter-in-law Hazel Keech ‘beti’: ‘Marry a British or Irish girl’

“Now that he has become famous, the same people want to take credit. His mom says, ‘I fed him kadhi chawal.’ Others claim, ‘We bowled to him.’ Someone even wrote, ‘We miss the ping pong noise from his training.’ These are the same people who once reported me. Everyone wants malai (credit),” he added. Yograj also shared that even his son, Yuvraj, once resented the intensity of his training.

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“When I pushed him, people called me names. Even my son called me Hitler and Dragon. But by God’s grace and for the love of the nation, he became something. I made him play the World Cup even when he was battling cancer. I told him, ‘Even if I lose you in this process, I will be a proud father who carried his son on his shoulders and lit his pyre.’ And Yuvraj replied, ‘Dad, that’s who I am.’ He passed every test I gave him. I still keep the T-shirt stained with his blood as a reminder that my son bled for his country,” Yograj said.

The actor also touched upon the subject of Yuvraj’s marriage, revealing how society pressured him to get his son married early, something he strongly opposed. “People wanted me to marry Yuvraj off in his 20s. I said, ‘Is he old already?’ When he turned 38, I told him, ‘Now you can think about it. I can’t choose for you. It’s your life, so find your partner.’ But I did request him to change the breed. People hearing this might oppose it, but we wanted an Irish or English girl in the family. And then Hazel [Keech] came into our lives. They have such beautiful kids, and they treat me like their friend. I don’t call Hazel my daughter-in-law, she is my daughter,” Yograj said warmly. A former actor, Hazel and Yuvraj married in 2016; they have two children — son Orion and daughter Aura.

Yuvraj Singh is Yograj’s son from his first marriage to Shabnam Kaur. He later married Satbir Kaur, with whom he has two more children. Yograj, once chosen ahead of Kapil Dev for India’s U-22 side, played one Test and six One Day Internationals (ODIs) for India before an injury cut short his career. He later turned to acting and has featured in films such as Singh Is Bliing and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.