Book Review: The Test of my Life - Yuvraj Singh

What comes to your mind first, the moment you hear the name ‘Yuvraj Singh’? ‘Six 6s’, ‘Man of the Series in the 2011 World Cup’, ‘an arrogant cricketer’, ‘a flirt’ or ‘a bar brawler’? If I give an introduction of Yuvraj Singh in this review, it would be an insult to the man because he needs no introduction; some of you hate him, most of you love him but you definitely know all there is to know about him. Or so you think. Being a big fan of Yuvi, I too was under the same impression, until I read his book, ‘The Test of my Life’.

The book is about the biggest challenge Yuvi has faced in his life. No, not Australia. It’s Cancer. Germ cell cancer – seminoma, to be more specific. When I first received the book from Random House, I thought that this would be a boring read. Reading 200 pages about a man’s fight with cancer is surely going to be boring; be it Armstrong’s or Yuvi’s. The editor, too, must have thought about it and has smartly divided the book into three parts – Before Cancer, During Cancer and After Cancer. So, this book never gets boring.

In the first part, Yuvi writes about his childhood. I didn’t know that he was a professional skater when he was a kid. He writes about how he was forced to become a cricketer; about the rigorous training sessions his father conducted; about his debuts in various formats of the game; about his rise to the national team; and thereafter the diagnosis of Cancer. In the second part, Yuvi writes about how he tried acupuncture for cancer treatment, believing a friend of his; about how he ignored the symptoms in the initial stages; about his travel to the UK and US for treatment; about his chemo sessions and about the people who supported him during all this. In the third part, he writes about his struggle and determination to gain form; about his return to the national team; about the love showered upon him on his return; and about the side-effects of chemo. In the end, he writes about his NGO– YOUWECAN – an organisation aimed at providing free cancer diagnosis in rural India.

The language used in the book is simple and easy, making it a single-sitting read. The 200 pages can be completed in no time. The binding, the cover, the paper quality and the font used are all very elegant. In conclusion, I would only say, buy/borrow/steal a copy today and read it to know the true life of the man that is Yuvraj Singh.