The flamboyant southpaw Yuvraj Singh's popularity touched dizzy heights after his stupendous show helped India win the World Cup at home in 2011. Then in February 2012, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. With the danger of the disease spreading to other parts of his body, Yuvraj was flown to the US, where he underwent chemotherapy at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston. Holding the cricket bat became a thing of the past. Or, so we thought.
Five months down the line, Singh, showing tremendous grit to make a comeback, is back in the reckoning after the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) included him in the 30-member probables' squad for the T20 World Cup that will be hosted by Sri Lanka in September. Though it's early to say if he will wear the India blue when Dhoni's army challenges the world.
Singh's story is quite like sports' best known cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, who went on to win a record seven Tour de France titles. In the past, South Africa's Dave Callaghan and Australia's Simon O'Donnell also recovered from cancer to resume their careers.
Among the current batch of cricketers, Singh surely stands out as one of the most gifted batsmen who became a more than useful bowler in One-day cricket. Few will argue his value as an electrifying fielder who ran hard between wickets, hit the cricket ball equally hard besides saving the team whenever chips were down.
It's not easy to keep Singh away from action when the player himself is slogging hard at Bangalore's National Cricket Academy, leaving no stones unturned to turn on the heat on his rivals, something he did with elan throughout the past decade. Having won numerous battles in the cricket field, Singh's return once again celebrates the limitlessness of human spirit.
Five months down the line, Singh, showing tremendous grit to make a comeback, is back in the reckoning after the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) included him in the 30-member probables' squad for the T20 World Cup that will be hosted by Sri Lanka in September. Though it's early to say if he will wear the India blue when Dhoni's army challenges the world.
Singh's story is quite like sports' best known cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, who went on to win a record seven Tour de France titles. In the past, South Africa's Dave Callaghan and Australia's Simon O'Donnell also recovered from cancer to resume their careers.
Among the current batch of cricketers, Singh surely stands out as one of the most gifted batsmen who became a more than useful bowler in One-day cricket. Few will argue his value as an electrifying fielder who ran hard between wickets, hit the cricket ball equally hard besides saving the team whenever chips were down.
It's not easy to keep Singh away from action when the player himself is slogging hard at Bangalore's National Cricket Academy, leaving no stones unturned to turn on the heat on his rivals, something he did with elan throughout the past decade. Having won numerous battles in the cricket field, Singh's return once again celebrates the limitlessness of human spirit.