Let us leave Yuvraj Singh alone

“For the first time in my life there have been claps in a press conference. I am sure this is a special moment for me, guys.”

3 years back, Yuvraj Singh made a telling opening statement in the press conference following his match-winning knock in the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals against Australia. 10 days later when India lifted the World Cup, Yuvraj was named the Man-of-the-Tournament, a tournament that he actually started with a string of failures battling poor form

Yuvraj Singh celebrates his World Cup 2011 match-winning knock against Australia

Yesterday morning, I woke up to the news that stones were pelted at Yuvraj’s house after the disappointing knock in the finals. I logged into facebook, and I could see all kinds of jokes, internet memes and cartoons ridiculing the cricketer. It’s a strange and cruel world. People who have clapped and applauded for the man during his glorious days have, now, entirely forgotten his contributions to the team: on how he paved way for India lifting the 2007 T20 world cup, his famous partnership with Mohammad Kaif to win the 2002 Natwest Trophy and several other historic occasions.

Few (and that includes me) who did not forget these contributions celebrated it big time when Yuvraj made a stylish 60 off 43 in a group match against Australia last week. I am not sure how you could blame his true fans who were really glad that their hero found some form. They knew deep inside it was not the Yuvraj of his prime, but, still, they were not ready to see this 32-year-old batsman fade away any sooner. After that 21-ball 11, would we see the dashing southpaw ever again in the international arena? We don’t know, but it would be too sad an ending for such a fabulous career if it happens that way.

One man who would have breathed a huge sigh of relief yesterday would be Ajinkya Rahane, who also made only 3 runs from the 8 balls he faced. Had he stayed there for 4-5 more deliveries, stones would have landed in his house, too. He could consider himself lucky, and I guess so could Dhoni, who did not exactly time his shots during his 7-ball stay at the crease, which only yielded 4 runs. It’s not sure if he could have done anything better had he got more deliveries to face. When you look at it retrospectively, though, Yuvraj’s innings did look like the biggest dampening factor.

Yuvraj Singh’s home was pelted with stones following his dismal batting performance in the finals

I believe that Yuvraj Singh is to limited overs cricket what V.V.S Laxman was to Tests. You might not exactly find their careers bright if you go and check the number of runs and centuries they have made. It’s the big chases they have mastered and the matches they have won on tight situations and big occasions that set them apart.

If you want to blame Yuvraj for yesterday’s loss, do it; once you make your point, please move on. Let’s not stone his house or his family. Let’s not abuse him or make cartoons and jokes that belittle such a great cricketer. Let’s not make statements such as Vijay Mallya has lost his 14 crores at least until we have seen him play his first 4-5 IPL matches. For the sake of those great memories, goosebump moments and so many wonderful victories he has presented to us, let’s leave Yuvraj Singh alone for now.

P.S. While many were busy blaming and abusing Yuvraj Singh for yesterday’s loss, many others were busy stating that he found a place in this team purely on the basis of sympathy and favoritism. How many of you know that when Yuvraj Singh came into this tournament, he was 6th in ICC rankings for T20 batsmen? How about that for a reason?