After overcoming cancer is it the opposition’s turn next……………?

On 2^nd of April 2011 the whole of India was celebrating and people were on the streets and dancing in the isles as the Indian cricket team had won the world cup after 28 years at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. This was a moment of satisfaction at the fulfillment of an important goal in the sporting career of a certain cricketer called Yuvraj Singh who had made no bones about the fact that he wanted to win the world cup for a certain Sachin Tendulkar and after the mission was accomplished he among all others was very relieved. To top it all Yuvraj was named the man of the tournament for his all round performances scoring 362 runs and taking 15 wickets. He had made a dream comeback in the team after a series of injuries and indifferent form. This award was indeed phenomenal to say the least and it pretty much spoke of the character of the man.

India was scheduled to play a 4 match test series in England after coming back victorious from the Carribean tour. Yuvraj sustained a finger injury in the test series against England and was out of the remainder of the series. Later after some days it was revealed that he was detected with a non malignant lung cancer which was in the primary stages and the fatal disease could be cured after a series of chemotherapy. He successfully completed the 3 phases of the chemotherapy in the US and currently is recouping and already has started light practice at the NCA in Bangalore. He himself is very eager to return to the game which has been his life. He is looking at the T20’s against New Zealand at home as a realistic target in August for his comeback. The road to recovery must have been a humbling experience one which must have toughened him mentally. Yuvraj Singh has been an outright match winner in ODI’s but somehow has not managed to cement his place in the test team even after being on the international circuit for almost 12 years. He has had some impressive performances at the test level but inherent shortcomings against the short pitched deliveries and the tendency to nibble outside the off stump has been his undoing at the test level. Nevertheless Yuvraj should just go out and express himself in tests and the ODI’s. The likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara are going to be strong contenders for the middle order slots in tests. The initial stages of his comeback will be very interesting and it will certainly test his mental fortitude. Make no mistake he has been a champion and fought his way back into the Indian team several times after being axed or after an injury. Who knows we might see a completely free and uncluttered Yuvraj Sngh especially at the test level. It is at the test level where he has to prove himself and he knows it very well. He is nearing 30 and it is well documented that batsmen are at their peak around this age.

One of the most crucial aspects of his comeback will be the attitude of the team mates towards him. Don’t get me wrong they will be very supportive but after some low scores, if there is a sense of sympathy towards him then it will be the last thing which he will appreciate. He has alway been a tough nut and it will be a test of character of Yuvraj and his other teammates. It will take him some matches to get into the groove of international cricket after recovering from a life threatening lung cancer. He has gone through the toughest phase in his life and hopefully he emerges even stronger from this ordeal. It will be at the test level if he is selected where he will face the challenges. The past few months after the cancer detection have certainly changed his outlook towards life as a whole. He has himself admitted that he has started looking at life in a much deeper sense and he has decided to create awareness among cancer patients throughout the country. He has started the project ‘YOUWECAN’ which will help creating awareness for this fatal disease. Indeed if he makes a grand comeback in to the Indian team it will add another feather in his cap and we might just see the best of Yuvraj Singh for 3 or 4 years to come. Opposition be aware because after defeating cancer yuvi is all set to stamp his authority on world circuit once again.