Yuvraj Singh - On a lonely road

Yuvraj Singh

The signals were not good. The prince was not able to spread his magic since the comeback. On 2nd of this month, he had already completed 32 years of age. The competition for places is always very intense. In fact, the expectations were abnormally high and Yuvraj could not fulfill those inflated hopes even marginally. Yes, he is the blue eyed boy of the entire nation and a perfect role model for millions, but unfortunately he has lost the sheen!

The cycle of life has been completed. Perhaps this is what they call destiny. Owing to his bold mannerism and aggressive style, Yuvraj has always been the heart throb of the fans, particularly the youngsters. I still remember one particular moment, when after a hectic trip of three days I reached home, my brother broke the news and said that Yuvi is suffering from cancer. For next few minutes, a sad silence prevailed and later I discovered that people had practically flooded the internet with their concern and good wishes. The way the whole nation united in praying for Yuvraj – right from bollywood stars and politicians to a common man – it was amazing. The whole attention of the media was shifted towards his well being and treatment.

Yuvraj had emerged as a hero – a brave fighter and truly a courageous man. Another noteworthy incident I recall is that when a friend of mine explained as to why Yuvraj is so popular particularly in North India. He said that Yuvraj carries the image of a party animal and those who can afford to live that way, very often see their own image in him and co-relate themselves with the prince.

Even before the cancer was detected, Yuvi had seen many ups and downs. He never had a compromising kind of image. Everyone who knows a bit about Yuvraj, knew that either he will give a splashing performance or he will fail totally. Despite criticism, Yuvraj never attempted to change his natural aggressive style of bating.

After his comeback, he has never been in the flow. In the ODI series against Australia, he barely crossed 20 runs in any innings. This miserable series was enough for the selectors to raise questions on Yuvraj. A muted series against West Indies followed, and now Yuvi is out of the team for New Zealand. It really seems that there is no way back. He is truly on a lonely road.

Although he has contributed a lot to Indian cricket, and played a key role in the 2011 world cup victory, but now it is time for him to say goodbye. Even if he is able to do well in Ranji trophy, it will really be very difficult to come back to the test squad – more so after Rahane’s superb performances on the South African tour.

Sometimes in life, the records and the profile really do not matter as a player’s stature becomes too high for all these. Love you prince.