Is this the end of the road for Yuvraj Singh?
Ever since the tragic cancer-related sabbatical in the career of Yuvraj Singh, that too at the time when he was in the prime of his career, it has been a downhill ride for him. After his return to World Cricket post his fight against cancer, it has been hard for Yuvraj to score runs in the same manner which he did before going through the supremely tough phase of his life.
His return to the game after going through such hardships is definitely a thing to be appreciated. But his inability to consistently put up match-winning performances for the Indian side - which he did so effortlessly earlier - has made many question whether it is time for him to retire.
With his name not featuring in the list of the players who have been awarded contracts for the next season, the alarm bells have started ringing for the individual who has been an integral part of the Indian setup for the past decade. In a recent interview, Yuvraj said that he will take a call on his career after 2019, which means that he is still eyeing a berth in the India squad for the World Cup 2019.
As far as the opinions of the experts go, Yuvraj will have to show one of the best performances his career in the upcoming IPL 2019 to come into the radar of the selection committee. Of late the selectors have been trying to ripen the crop of the younger talent so that they can reap the fruits of that in the upcoming ICC event which is just months away from now.
Another factor that has been cropping up apart from Yuvraj's batting is his fielding. We have been used to seeing Yuvraj all pumped up and the batsmen fearing to run if the ball is 5 metres either side of him. But seeing him field at third man in that West Indies series was a bit disheartening for all of his fans.
Yuvraj's abilities are no doubt among best that any player could have, but his failure to replicate his past performances is surely a thing to worry about. The only knocks that have shown glimpses of the old Yuvraj are the one in the inaugural match of the ICC Champions Trophy where he scored a half century and was awarded the Man of the Match award, and the 153 against England a couple of years ago.
Apart from these two instances, there haven’t been many knocks from his bat that are worthy of praise, and this a matter of concern for Yuvraj. I’m sure that his fans around the country are eager to see the last bit of cricket that is left in him, so that he can get a grand farewell and leave the side at his will.
He deserves to go out when people are asking 'why' rather than 'when'.