'He was never a father,' says Yuvraj Singh opening up on relationship with Yograj Singh, reveals how he made sure he is a close to his children, credits wife Hazel Keech

Yuvraj Singh is one of the most loved cricketers that India has ever seen. But his journey has been far from smooth. From growing up with a strict father as a child to fighting Cancer in 2011-2012, he's beautifully shined through it all.

Even his father, cricketer turned Punjabi film after Yograj Singh has often spoken about how he was strict with him and confessed that he also regrets some of it. In a recent interview, Yuvraj has opened up on his relationship with his father and how he broke that style of parenting with his children, with the support of his wife Hazel Keech. Yuvraj spoke candidly about his family’s struggles, particularly the difficult phase his mother went through in the early years.

“I saw my mom suffer a lot. I won’t get into details about why and what happened, but she was living with her parents. The day I got my first cheque, it was an amazing feeling to finally provide for the woman who had protected me all these years, to give something back to her and a space she could finally call her own,” he recalled in an interview with Sania Mirza on her podcast, 'Serving It Up With Sania'.He revealed how his relationship with his father changed when he began training.

He said, “When I was a kid, he was a father. When he started coaching me, he was never a father after that, he was a coach. That’s probably the saddest part. What parents learn, they pass on to their children. We have to learn from that and be better for our kids. He did what he knew at that time, but it’s a very thin line as a parent." Looking back at his own childhood, Yuvraj reflected on the emotional gaps he sometimes felt growing up.

“There are times when you feel your parents weren’t there in certain moments. I sometimes think about things I wish I had done with my parents, like going to theme parks or picnics. They didn’t know better back then, but we do now,” he said.Thus, Yuvraj made sure, his bonding with his children was better and they felt close to him. “My relationship with my children is great, and I give full credit to Hazel for that. When they were born, I was hesitant to change nappies or feed them milk. But she encouraged me, saying that doing these things would strengthen my bond with the kids,” he shared.He admitted that being actively involved made all the difference. “She was right. Now, even if I don’t see my kids for a month, we talk every day. They miss me and I miss them.”