Yuvraj Singh is considered one of the most influential batsmen India has ever had. The left-hander was key in helping India win the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. Yuvraj amazed everyone with his 6 sixes off Stuart Broad in the first T20 World Cup and also showed his all-round skills during the 2011 World Cup.
In both of these major tournaments, the 43-year-old was named Player of the Tournament. During the 2011 World Cup in India, Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer and went to the US later that year for treatment.
Even though Yuvraj got back to full fitness the next year, he was not included in the Indian team for the 2013 Champions Trophy or any other series under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
Yuvraj’s situation began to change when Virat Kohli became the captain of the Indian team. He was included in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the West Indies series that followed. However, his poor performance in those matches caused the team management to lose faith in him.
Yuvraj was dropped from the team and announced his retirement in 2019. Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa accused the leadership at that time of ending Yuvraj’s career too soon.
Take Yuvi Pa’s instance. The man beat cancer, and he is trying to come back into the international side. He is the man who won us a World Cup, won us two World Cups for that matter, along with the other players, but played an integral role in helping us win. Then for such a player, when you become captain, you say his lung capacity has diminished and you have been with him when you have seen him struggle. Nobody has told me this, I observe things.” Uthappa said.
“You have seen him struggle, then when you are captain, yes you have to maintain a level of standard, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Here is a man who deserves to be an exception because he is not just beaten and won you tournaments, but he has beaten cancer. He has beaten the hardest challenge in life in that sense. Some question room for someone like that” he continue
“So when Yuvi requested for that two-point deduction, he didn’t get it. Then he did the test because he was outside the team and they weren’t taking him in. He passed the fitness test, came inside the team, had a lean tournament, and took him out totally. Whoever was in the leadership group, didn’t entertain him. That time Virat was the leader and it went according to him due to his strong personality,” he added.
Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
