Yuvraj Singh - The battle is only half-won

It was a chilled Tuesday evening, when suddenly a lot of TVs were switched on, and cooking at home momentarily stopped. There was a deafening silence all over India, for the world had gathered in front of the idiot box, anxious for the return of the Tiger.

The minute he walked in, our eyes were glued to the screen, fearing the worst.

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Back-track to January 2012, when the news hit us like a Tsunami wave. Yuvraj Singh, Punjab da Puttar – was diagnosed with a cancer near his lung. Lung or not, any tumor the size of a golf ball, can be extremely serious.

On the look of it, Yuvraj has shown extraordinary courage to come back on the field, after what had happened. But, can he reclaim his glory once again?

Months passed, and the occasional word from Yuvi would pop up here and there, but then we all heard about the big gamble. The BCCI decided to include Yuvraj Singh in the T20 squad for the New Zealand series. An unprecedented decision, definitely, but was it a calculated risk?

And so the wait was on. India played extremely well in the Test Series, whitewashing NWZ 2-0. Things could only better with Yuvi’s return. But what if…
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Present Day, September 8th.

The clouds of doubt were turning gray in our minds, and rather symbolically, the clouds had turned gray in Vizag as well. The world had to wait 3 more days for his comeback.

And finally, after 10 long months, the day had come, and India needed 168 to win at Chennai. But that didn’t matter. Probably for the first time in Indian cricketing history, 1.2 billion people wanted 2 wickets to fall as soon as possible so that Yuvi could come back in the arena. And fortunately, (or rather unfortunately), that happened after 10 overs.

Yuvraj did get off to a good start in his comeback. But will he be good enough, for long enough?

A quickfire 34 off 26 reassured us all. Eradicated our lack of belief. India may have lost by 1 run, but no one was too put out. In Yuvaj’s own words, “There are mixed emotions,” as he said after the game. “We lost a game that we should have won, but for me personally it was a big emotional moment to get on the field.”

But, more importantly, the experiment had worked. The selectors had once again done their magic. And so, this was the culmination of war against cancer for Yuvraj Singh.

But the war wasn’t over. Hell, it wasn’t even the beginning of the end. Just the end of the beginning.
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In a cricket-obsessed country like India, where cricket is a religion, staying at the top is no easy task. As long as you perform, you can be excused for pretty much anything. But the minute you form that cloud of doubt…

Recently the Little Master was criticized for his slow footwork. Funny, they didn’t say that at the World Cup when his knocks were especially crucial towards India’s success.

On the same lines, when Virat Kohli played his first match for the Indian national team, not a lot was expected from him. He was a debutante. No background, no history, no expectation. Yes, he did captain the U-19 team to international glory, but he was nothing more than a college pass-out to us – another one of those who play a few matches and fade away. But no, Virat Kohli was different. And now, things are expected from him. Every time he falls below 20 or 25, we are all put down.

Similarly, when Yuvraj played this Tuesday, he wasn’t starting with a clean slate. He could not afford to slip up. And now every time he will play, he cannot afford to slip up. People know, or at least now believe, that cancer meant nothing more than a passing phase to Yuvraj, and he can still perform his magic.

Translation: Yuvraj Singh has to perform, and perform regularly, to play in the Indian starting XI, or else he will be replaced.

Can the ‘New’ Yuvraj do it all over again?

This bitter truth will take Yuvraj’s fitness to its very limits, and for the sake of Indian cricket, let us hope that the BCCI didn’t hasten their decision. Dhoni himself said, “From tomorrow, he can do whatever he wants to. It’s just about giving that individual a bit of space so that he can think about what he needs to do. Especially given that he is playing after 10 months, you will put pressure on him because he doesn’t know where he stands. Now that he has done well, he can do whatever he wants.”

But ladies and gentlemen, this is YUVRAJ SINGH. Every match, every ball he plays, Yuvi has a lot to prove. Not only to his 1.2 billion plus fans, but also to himself. Yuvraj has to ask himself – is he worth the ‘two-down’ place? A year back, yes; but now?

This war, in my opinion, will be tougher than his fight against cancer. The fight has just began, my friend. If Yuvraj was to perform exceptionally well in the upcoming T20 World Cup, then, and only then, will his comeback be complete.

But like any other fairy tale, I’m pretty sure Yuvraj Singh will kill the dragon, save the damsel in distress, and live happily ever after.

Best of Luck, @YUVSTRONG12 . And may the odds be ever in your favor!

It isn’t over. Not yet. But Yuvi can, and he will.