Players will come and go, but players like Yuvraj Singh are very rare to find. Gone through many difficult times but thrashed disease, thrashed bowlers and won hearts. He inspired many people with his fight and will-power. Son of former India pace bowler Yograj Singh, Yuvi came to prominence as a left-handed genius. He hailed from Punjab and played the game with a purpose. When he came to know that his services are no longer needed for Indian Team he called it a day.
India has been blessed with a number of superstars over the years. One of them is undoubtedly Yuvraj Singh, the warrior who has weathered all the storms to script a glorious career. He made his debut way back in 2000 versus Kenya but came into the limelight after he scored a magnificent half-century against Australia. In that game, he took on bowlers like Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath pretty efficiently.
There was no stopping the southpaw thereafter and he kept on flourishing in limited-overs cricket. Back in the 2007 T20 World Cup, the left-hander smacked Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over in the game against England in Durban. Yuvraj followed it up with another masterful fifty against Australia at the same venue. However, his best performance came in the 2011 edition of the World Cup.
He scored 362 runs in nine matches at a stupendous average of 90.50. Moreover, he also picked up 15 wickets. India won the World Cup after 28 years and Yuvraj was named the Player of the tournament for his incredible all-round show. Nevertheless, the future had something ruthless in store for him as in 2011, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left lung and went through chemotherapy treatment.
After a long tussle with the deadly disease, the southpaw made a comeback and weaved his magic. He also played the 2017 Champions Trophy on England soil. Thereafter, he travelled to the West Indies and that turned out to be his final appearance in national colours. A quite remarkable career with plenty highs and some pretty brutal lows he carried on with wisdom and his six sixes in one over of Stuart Broad showed resilience, courage and pure brilliance wearing blue.
Yuvraj is one of the greatest match-winners in the history of the game, and a sheer fighter to the core, who built an extraordinary career through hard work and came out a winner every time. Go well, Yuvraj Singh. May your second innings be as swashbuckling as the first one. We expect to see you as a coach or commentator in the cricketing field. It is time to see your biopic and say good bye to a great career full of confidence and enthusiasm.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
