Yuvraj Singh - You beauty!

About a month ago, a surprise news broke out that Yuvraj Singh had been recalled for India’s T-20 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka and with it came a smile on the faces of millions of Yuvi fans world over. Perhaps more than happiness it was respect that they felt towards him. Respect for bouncing back, not from any injury or a normal surgery, but from cancer.

Later that day, the 30 year old all-rounder confessed in a press conference that he is both excited and nervous about taking guard again, it is almost like a second innings for him and that it is going to be like a second debut. Even if his new innings does not unfold spectacularly for him, he will still be setting an example, not just to cricketers, but for all sportsmen who, if at all, get mentally paralyzed by a ‘cancer’ some day in their careers. A cancer which destroys you physically and weakens you emotionally. Which kills all the desire in you to live, let alone play. But for Yuvi, it was just another day in the office, almost like facing a fearsome Brett Lee or Lasith Malinga. Because he went through all his cancer treatments and defeated cancer with the same ease with which he smashed Stuart Broad 6 times out of the park, in just one over.

Hardly 17 months back, the Punjabi ace was busy guiding India to a historic ODI World Cup victory, bagging four ‘Man of the Match’ awards and the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award in the process. But look how things have unfolded in these 16 months. Yuvi’s situation has completely changed from then. He came out triumphant earlier but now will have to do it all over again. He then had to think only about the team’s victory but now will have to first think about getting back to his own level. For him, it seems as if the Earth has revolved 360 degrees, but in the opposite direction. But something that hasn’t changed, is that he was a hero then and he is a hero even today. The fighter in him had kept alive his desire to play cricket again. It is the same fighter who had almost single handedly won us our recent two World Cups, T20 World Cup 2007 and ODI World Cup 2011. And who knows, the same fighter might well be the reason behind India coming home with their second T20 World Cup.

His selection though, attracted a lot of criticism also, with the critics saying that the selectors have made an emotional decision rather than a cricketing one. Only time will tell if the decision was correct. Today, as Yuvraj is all set to make a come-back against New Zealand, rain is playing spoilsport. But one thing is for sure, be it today or tomorrow, Yuvi will definitely be returning back to the cricket field and hopefully, with a bang. Remember his match winning debut knock of 84 against the mighty Aussies in the Champions Trophy, 2000? Hopefully, his second debut will also turn out to be a fruitful one.

You can never write off Yuvi, can you? Some people did this mistake when he was out of form just before the 2011 World Cup and you know what happened next. We all know that it is going to be more difficult for him than ever before. But hopefully he can repeat his heroics one more time, because with this champ called ‘Yuvraj’, you just never know what is going to happen next.