Yuvraj Singh scored 55 for Delhi Daredevils (DD) against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 encounter. In doing so, Yuvraj showed another glimpse of his inability to quit, however much he may be written off, feels Shiamak Unwalla.
It is said that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Harsha Bhogle once gave a speech in which he related how when the Australian army builds an elite team, they look at the track records of the candidates; those who have never failed are not selected, for they may not know how to come back from a failure. Had Yuvraj Singh been trying out for an Australian elite forces unit, he would have been the first one picked.
Yuvraj’s form was questioned leading in to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He had scored a solitary half-century in his previous 10 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and had missed a few games due to injury as well. What he accomplished for India in that tournament need not be reiterated; his Man of the Tournament award speaks for itself.
Soon after India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign, Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer. His subsequent battle and return was nothing short of a testament to his mental ability. He recovered and made it back in time for ICC World T20 2012. He had battled one of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, and not only survived but also came back to play for the country.
It was obvious that he was far from fully fit, but he kept training and kept playing. He was overlooked for the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 due to issues with form and fitness, but made a comeback in time for the ODI series against Australia in October-November 2013, and subsequently made it to India’s squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2014.
He scored a match-winning half-century against Australia, but failed to get going in the final against Sri Lanka. A mixture of a lack of form and some outstanding death bowling from Sri Lanka ensured that Yuvraj could only make 11 off 21 balls. His house was stoned by “fans,” and he lost his place in the side.
The writing was on the wall, but Yuvraj did not give in. He came back with a productive season for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2014, scoring 376 runs — a personal best — at an average of 34.18 and strike rate of 135.25 with three fifties. That RCB could not capitalise was down to the poor form of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, and the lack of penetration from their bowlers.
Yuvraj was not even considered in the list of 30 Indian probables for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. He responded by scoring three centuries and two half-centuries in the Ranji Trophy 2014-15 season. He was also the leading run-scorer of the tournament at one stage.
Yuvraj keeps getting written off, and he keeps finding ways to bounce back and prove his class. He might not be the player he was a decade ago, but it seems no one told that to Yuvraj himself. For now, he remains someone who is yet to learn the meaning of “I quit.”
(Shiamak Unwalla is a proud Whovian and all-round geek who also dabbles in cricket writing as a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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