How The Older Yuvraj Is Better Than The Younger Yuvraj
At 35, an age when most sportsmen are well past their prime, Yuvraj has played what he calls the best innings of his limited-overs career.
He parties too much. He can¡¯t play Test cricket. He doesn¡¯t work on his fitness. He¡¯s arrogant. He¡¯s milked his cancer. He¡¯s finished.
Yuvraj Singh has spent a lifetime listening to people who hardly know him pass judgment on him. At 35, an age when most sportsmen are well past their prime, golfers and chess players excepted, Yuvraj has played what he calls the best innings of his limited-overs career. At 35, after successfully winning the battle of his life against a rare and debilitating form of cancer, Yuvraj has found a way to wind the clock back.
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Yuvraj¡¯s selection to the Indian ODI team for the series against England was met with typical criticism. A fair point made then was whether he could still be in India¡¯s scheme of things come the 2019 World Cup. But, those who had seen him bat most recently, including the selectors, who deserve nothing but praise for their move, knew that something was different. The critics insisted that this was not the Yuvraj of old. And they were right, in that he was batting better than he perhaps has in all his time as an international cricketer.
When you look at Yuvraj¡¯s batting, the glory of his strokeplay provides a rare respite from the otherwise statististically obsessed game. When Yuvraj has all the time in the world to get in perfect position to cream a pull well in front of square, or the perfect balance and transfer of weight to bludgeon the ball past the bowler with a checked drive, or the tactical nous to time a loose ball through cover, you stop whatever it is you are doing and settle down in front of the television screen.
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There are few visual treats in the modern game as pleasing on the eye as Yuvraj in full cry and, unless you are an opposition bowler, it¡¯s impossible not to enjoy the show on display. But, at the risk of being a crashing bore, there are some milestones worth noting. Yuvraj¡¯s blazing 150 in Cuttack was his highest ODI score in 295 matches, his fourth century against England and the highest score by an Indian against England in the format. Most critically, it was his first century since the 2011 World Cup, where he powered India to victory. While those numbers are bandied out, it¡¯s worth remembering that Yuvraj played just 21 ODI innings in that period, a true reflection of how much of a struggle those six years were.
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The final statistic is the most relevant one, simply because this his first significant ODI score since learning of his illness and a long fight to regain his life in America and India. Cricket is not unaccustomed to players returning from debilitating illness and resuming doing what they love best. Dave Callaghan, the South African, made his career-best score, an unbeaten 169 against New Zealand in 1994 after recovering from testicular cancer. Simon O¡¯ Donnell the Australian allrounder who gave up a promising career in Aussie Rules Football to embrace willow and leather, overcame Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and picked up 5 for 13 with his bag of clever medium pace variations in 1990.
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Not long ago, after he had recovered from cancer, Yuvraj admitted to your columnist in an interview that the thought that he may never play for India ever again had certainly crossed his mind. But, having said that in the most sombre of tones, he switched quickly to the mischievous grin and cheeky voice that the world is more familiar with: But who knows, I may very well play for India one day again.
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Through this period, Yuvraj kept the faith. It was, however, only when the rest of Indian cricket seemed to give up on Yuvraj that he rediscovered his best. Setting aside all thoughts of playing for India, Yuvraj went back to the carefree, original approach that brought him success in the first place. Feeling 35, thinking 15, Yuvraj shredded bowlers in the most recent Ranji Trophy season. Then, when England came calling, a door that once appeared shut opened just a touch. And that was all that Yuvraj needed to come storming back to the stage that he so obviously belongs to.
