Is the end near for Yuvraj Singh?

Yuvraj Singh

The Yuvraj of old would have just smashed it, said the commentator. Instead of prodding at Marlon Samuels’ non-turning, innocuous off-spin, he would have just stepped out and unleashed one of his trademark hits over midwicket.

But the man batting in Dhaka last Sunday looked like an imposter to the one who has won India two World Cups. With a single run required off the last over, the world saw a Yuvraj like never before. Low on confidence and short on runs, the Punjab southpaw made an embarrassing exit against the West Indies in India’s second group game in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Suresh Raina, who was seen shaking hands with his teammates in the dug-out just prior to Yuvraj’s dismissal was called upon to strike the winning blow.

Once the lynchpin of the India’s ODI and T20 sides, Yuvraj has witnessed a steady slump in his fortunes. There were a couple of moments in the game against the Windies that typified his downward spiral in the Indian team.

First, he put down a skier by Chris Gayle which should have been meat and drink for a fielder of his calibre. Then, Mahendra Singh never called upon him to bowl his left-arm spin on a pitch that was favouring the spinners. And finally, his last over horror show against Marlon Samuels.

It is difficult to imagine that just three years ago, this man was instrumental in leading India to glory in the 2011 World Cup. Devastating with the bat and wily with the ball, Yuvraj was adjudged the player of the tournament. Four years earlier in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, he had sent the world into a tizzy when he obliterated Stuart Broad by hitting him for six sixes in one over. In the semi-final against Australia a few days later, Yuvraj was at his swaggering best again, putting Brett Lee & Co. firmly in their place. His artistry and brute hitting prowess catapulted him into one of the most feared limited overs batsmen in the game.

That was seven years ago. Now, the feet don’t move the way they did, the razor sharp reflexes have gone lethargic and the electric pace across the outfield has vanished.

Since his miraculous recovery form a life threatening cancer, Yuvraj has been a pale shadow of his former self. Numerous chances have come his way over the last couple of years, but he has struggled to rekindle the form of old. He made his comeback to the Indian side at the 2012 World T20 in Sri Lanka, where he was the men in blue’s top wicket-taker, but failed to fire with the willow.

There has been the sporadic flash of brilliance, but not enough to cement his place in the team. His blistering knocks of 72 in a T20 game against Pakistan in Ahmedabad, in which he took Saeed Ajmal to the cleaners springs to mind. But such performances have been few and far between.

After his batting services went unused against Bangladesh on Friday, the inconsequential last group game against Australia may act as final opportunity for the struggling left-hander. With age clearly not on his side and an in-form Ajinkya Rahane warming the bench, Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn’t mind changing things around.