What a shocking reversal of fate

The recent news about Yuvraj Singh‘s chemo in the US for the malignant golf ball size tumor that he has in his lungs has come as a huge shock to every Indian on the planet. It is quite natural for anyone to feel sympathetic towards anyone having cancer. Even worst enemies become sober when one of them is incapacitated, health wise.

In Yuvraj’s case, the reasons for which he has made news in the last 10 years or so, when he has been in the spotlight, have been at the other extreme end of the spectrum. When he burst on to the scene, he was all over the news for his aggressive batting, over-the-top attitude on the field and he was the typical man-child that the media loved. The ladies loved him for his rugged looks and manly charm.

Numerous affairs with hotshot actresses like Deepika, Kim Sharma and Preity, run-ins with the managements over captaincy issues both with the Indian team and with the Kings XI Punjab side, his struggles to make it to the Test side, his high flying lifestyle, the numerous endorsements etc. There was always enough and more news about Yuvi to keep the gossip columns burning.

At a point of time he was dropped from the team and coincidentally MSD became such a huge icon. Yuvi was somehow relegated in the star wars and he was being given the short end of the stick in favor of younger fitter stars like Kohli, Rohit and Raina. His own unfit and burly ways on the field didn’t help matters. The Yuvi who flew and caught balls out of thin air at gully/point not too long ago, was now a shadow of his former self. People wondered whether all the potential that he had buried, was lost forever.

Then came the crowning glory of the World Cup when he was the Man of the Series and proved that he was a star all rounder and that not just a swashbuckling middle order batsman. He saw the team through to the finish line even in the finals. We thought it was going to be glory all the way for Yuvi after the CWC. But, his struggles in the Tests continued and he fell ill. Nobody knew that it would turn out to be a malignant tumor in his lungs. Life can be such a cruel b***h.

The picture of a bald Yuvi really shocked the eyes. A guy with the most extra-ordinary movie star swagger was now a sober patient undergoing chemo. Such are the cruel twists of fate. Yuvi has undergone a sea change in his attitude and he admits to be inspired by that other fighter Lance Armstrong.

He will be back to the cricket pitch by April if all goes well. Whether his skills will be the same is still under question but, one thing for sure, he will be worldly wise after all the trauma he is braving right now with a big heart.

Come back soon … Wish you the very best in life …