There are very few cricketers who have as much fan-following as Yuvraj Singh. Despite the best years of his career being well past him, the comeback man of Indian cricket can boast of plenty of support from well-wishers as he once again finds himself out of contention from the national side’s plans. He has done it time and time again, but with age catching up with Yuvraj, even the most die-hard fans will be fearing the worst as far as his latest comeback bid is concerned.
Yuvraj Singh has already established his legacy in Indian cricket with the role he played in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup victory. Player of the series in both tournaments, Yuvraj shined with both bat and ball and the energy he brought onto the field was yet another asset to his game.
His abilities were no secret as he showed with his impressive ODI debut as an 18-year-old in 2000 and that indomitable spirit has never faded away as we saw with the way he made his comeback from his battle with cancer.
However, after being overlooked for the recent T20 series against the West Indies followed by the underwhelming performances during the Duleep Trophy, Yuvraj has it all to do if he wants to make yet another comeback to the Indian team. With the Men in Blue heading into a new era under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, things doesn’t look too optimistic for Yuvraj, one has to say.
Time running out for Yuvraj
Despite his many match-winning knocks for the Indian cricket team, the one innings that his detractors will time and again point out to is his knock of 11 runs from 21 balls against Sri Lanka in the final of the 2014 World T20 that MS dhoni’s men eventually went on to lose. Many felt that it was the end of the road for the left-handed batsman who didn’t impress in his quest for a recall with his below-par performances in the domestic circuit since that fateful day.
Also Read: 'Virat Kohli is a big miser': Yuvraj Singh
Needless to say, it was a big surprise when he was picked for the T20 series against Australia in 2016 with the national selectors hoping that his big-match experience will come in hand with the 2016 World T20 just months ahead. Though not as impressive a comeback as Ashish Nehra’s, Yuvraj did enough to secure a place in the World T20 squad and was a regular in the side until injury robbed him of his place ahead of the semi-final against eventual champions West Indies.
India’s next T20I came against the very same side but Yuvraj was not selected despite being fit and available as the selectors made it clear that they were planning ahead with the next major ICC tournaments in mind. Yuvraj, now 34, has made his intentions pretty clear that he wants to play the 2019 World T20 which he has set himself as a goal.
But with a number of talented youngsters waiting in the wings, it might just be the end of the road for Yuvraj as far as international cricket is concerned.
Back to the grind of domestic cricket
Yuvraj, though is in no mood to give up just yet and if there is one thing that we have seen throughout his career, it is that he is a true fighter who never gives up. So much so that he still sees a future for himself even in Test cricket – a format that he has never really excelled in despite playing in 40 matches.
With a busy 2016-17 home season featuring as many as 14 Tests scheduled, Yuvraj is hopeful of getting a shot at the Test side once again.
“Definitely, I am a big underachiever in test cricket," Yuvraj said recently. “But I can’t really take out anything because I didn’t have many opportunities. We had lot of greats playing in the team. For seven years of my career I was mostly the 12th man for Test matches.
“When I actually had a spot, I got diagnosed with cancer. So it’s been unfortunate but I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to play again."
Realistically, though, the T20 format alone represents Yuvraj’s only chance to don the Indian colours again but he will have to prove his credentials in other formats in the Indian domestic circuit. It has been a bad start in his latest comeback trail though as he has failed to notch up any notable performances in the ongoing Duleep Trophy and the way the selectors shot down Gautam Gambhir’s prospects despite playing brilliantly should give Yuvraj an indication as to how tough his prospects are.
The new Ranji Trophy season should be commencing soon enough with less than a month to go before the first match begins and Yuvraj will have his work cut out against the young lot. His fitness is not at the level where it used to be and surely age has started catching up with the left-handed batsman
A lot will depend on his performances in what is India's premier domestic competition before the attention turns to the big entertainer - the 2017 IPL.
Yuvraj got himself a winner's medal during the 2016 edition being part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise but to be fair we rarely got to see the fireworks which we are so accustomed to seeing from Yuvraj's bat. It still remains to be seen whether he remains with the franchise for the next edition, but he will have to justify his crowd-pulling power with some heroics with the bat no matter where he ends up if he wants to be back in the plans of the Indian selectors.
India's rising young talent
India has never been short of batting talent and the modern day is no different with many talented youngsters waiting in the wings. The mushrooming of T20 leagues like the Karnataka Premier League and the recently inaugurated Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has helped the selectors cast their eyes on new talents who have shown that they can mix right in if given the chance.
The rise of KL Rahul is one big example. The talented Karnataka batsman is one of the biggest success stories of the KPL and he has made a truly outstanding start to his international career with centuries in all three formats of the game in just 20 innings. His impressive century in the first T20 against the West Indies was a gentle reminder about the T20 format being the ideal setting ground for youngsters.
Fighting against the likes of such cricketers, Yuvraj will find it really hard to make a mark. He is not getting any younger and he has certainly struggled against genuine pace off late. With the next edition of the T20 World Cup only scheduled for 2019, Yuvraj, who will be 37 by that time, is surely fighting a losing battle and it would also be a tad unfair on someone like Manish Pandey who has been waiting for a consistent run in the side like forever.
Still, a superb domestic season could still bring Yuvraj back in contention and as England’s Stuart Broad found out during the 2007 World T20, you simply don't mess with him. As of now tough, things doesn’t look too well for the 34-year-old who is well and truly in the twilight of his career.
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