Yuvraj Singh: Redefining will, passion and determination

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh returns in Indian colors after a hiatus. And what a script he is writing since coming back! He has emerged as a huge inspirational figure for people from all walks of life. With faith, desire and determination he has overpowered his adversities.

Being Yuvraj Singh was tough even before cancer struck him. His parents divorced when he was still a teenager. He was in and out of the team for long. His off-field actions were deemed as the reason for his failure on the cricket field.

Yuvraj’s journey has always been a roller-coaster ride ever since he debuted. Despite being a proven match winner, he is always a few poor outings away from being dropped. Even his place in the World Cup 2011 team was not a certainty after a series of low scores before World Cup. He scored only two 50-plus scores in 2010. He failed to go past 20 in all but one match against South Africa just before the World Cup. He was clearly not in the best of form.

More recently when he was dropped for the Champions trophy, it looked like the end of the road for him. With the selectors clearly looking to invest in young blood and not afraid of dropping non-performing seniors, it was always going to take more than an extraordinary effort from him to force the selectors to select him in the team.

Yuvraj Singh’s story is one for the ages. This is what legends are made of. Before the 2011 World Cup, he fought a hard battle with his inner demons. He had lost his place in the Test side and his place in the one-day side was in jeopardy too. He was on the brink of being left out of the World Cup side because of a stretch of indifferent form.

All of this would have hurt Yuvraj Singh. For long he was India’s best finisher along with Dhoni. For an impact player like Yuvraj, confidence matters the most, and he has always been a big match player. The selectors seem to understand that too. They trusted his abilities and he was given another shot at glory. As the tournament progressed, he discovered his lost form rather swiftly and soon he was all over the World Cup.

Though he was scoring runs, hitting sixes and taking wickets, he didn’t have any idea what was happening inside his body; it was getting worn out. After the quarterfinal against Australia, Dhoni admitted that Yuvraj had been vomiting a lot. This was seen as nervousness. It looked obvious as India was only two steps away from creating history. Anxiety must have been creeping in the bodies of every player.

When India had one hand on World Cup victory, a tumour mounted inside Yuvraj, pressing against his artery. He looked uneasy, restless and was seen coughing. Inhaling oxygen was tougher than scoring runs. Yet it was not enough to stop him from winning matches.

That World Cup was a Yuvraj Singh story. He was a hero; he could do no wrong.

But heroes are human and humans fall. Yuvraj fell too. It was not his batting but his body that did him in and a few months later he was diagnosed with a rare germ cell cancer.

Yuvraj SIngh: Won the biggest battle of his life too.

A year later an overweight, half-fit Yuvraj rushed into the Indian side after successfully defeating cancer. He was not swift on the field. One could see him breathless while taking runs. His shots were not generating power. Yes, there were flashes of brilliance but they were few and far between. One could see it was more of an emotional comeback rather than a merit-based one.

Then came the IPL and Yuvraj’s fate was sealed for the next five months. He hardly scored runs or picked wickets. He was jaded and looked totally disinterested. The passion was still there but his body was failing to complement it. It was only a matter of time before he was dropped from the team.

It was probably the best thing that could have happened to Yuvraj. He went to France and became part of an intensive fitness camp. Meanwhile, India won three ODI tournaments in a row including the Champions Trophy. Yuvraj’s replacement Dinesh Karthik did nothing extraordinary but did his part and scored a few valuable runs.

Along with Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj went through gruelling training in France. A training session in India could have worked too but he knew he would always be at arm’s length from the spotlight. It was not the time for distraction. He was fighting multiple battles, against his body, time and competition all at once.

He decided to stay away from the limelight and chose a rather arduous path in France. He didn’t even allow his mother to travel with him. He didn’t want to get pampered by her; all he wanted was to face the harsh realities and get over his physical frailties.

He went through multiple physical training session including ‘pilates’, a fitness system developed in the early 20th century. The program helped him lose fat, build flexibility and strengthen his muscles.

A fit and determined Yuvraj returned to India. Now, the onus was on him to translate his fitness into substantial and consistent performances.

At a time when other seniors failed to make a statement, Yuvraj made a huge stride forward with his performances in the list A games. It reflected in the numbers of runs he scored.

The manner in which he scored 77 off only 35 deliveries in the T20I against Australia reflected the state of mind he was in. He was composed, resolute and looked unruffled even when the required rate was mounting.

The moment that defined his state of mind came in the early part of his innings. In the 12th over when Clint McKay bowled a slower ball, Yuvraj initially looked to cut it powerfully but had to wait for it to arrive. He waited and waited and then just dabbed it past a flying Brad Haddin and the ball raced away to the boundary.

It is not easy to play such acute shots. It clearly indicated the amount of concentration Yuvraj was putting in; he looked to be in the zone.

Soon, the Yuvraj of old was on the rampage. The powerful flicks were back. Short balls were dispatched with disdain. He gave every reason to incite the commentators to pierce the ears of their fellow commentators.

He batted deep in the crease and that allowed him to treat yorker length bowls as fuller ones. It could have misfired had he not been in good form, but the sensational straight six off Faulkner cleared all the air about his form.

They say an in-form Yuvraj makes for a dangerous India. Bat coming down from a high backlift, generating immense power at the point of contact with ball, sending it into the orbit; add a casual flick off the pads to sail another ball over the boundary and you have Yuvraj in control of everything. All of these were evident in the recent matches he played.

However, this is just the start; the tough task of sustaining and maintaining the momentum will start from here. He didn’t look comfortable against the fast, pacy short pitch stuff of Mitchell Johnson in the 1st ODI at Pune. Seaming and rising balls are his biggest enemy. He may also want to make his footwork more decisive against quality spin. He must be itching to make an impact in the Test arena as well.

Whatever happens to Yuvraj Singh’s career from here, he has redefined the words – will, passion and determination. He has successfully overcome a man’s biggest fear – death. He could have died of a heart attack during the World Cup because his artery was being crushed and no one would have known about the growing cancer, his doctor revealed later.

For now he has come back fit, leaner and athletic. He is making an impact with the bat, his left arm is still gold-coated and his body is good enough to wear wings while fielding.

Fighting against the odds and overpowering the adversities have been the hallmarks of Yuvraj Singh. He still remains critical to India’s success at least in the shorter formats. India would need him in the 2015 World Cup. For now, Yuvraj has made sure that his story would inspire generations to come.