Cricket: The Truth About Yuvraj Singh!

Article first published as Cricket: The Truth About Yuvraj Singh! on Technorati.

Finally the truth is out about the persistent fitness problems of Yuvraj Singh, the Indian cricket superstar, over the last few months. The truth was revealed to the media by his mother Shabnam Singh. Yuvraj has a golf ball sized tumor in his left lung and was first diagnosed as cancer.

Yuvraj Singh has been a consistent match winner for Team India since 2000 in One Day Internationals (ODI) and in tests since 2003. Whenever he happened to be in full flow scoring big and always quick India won invariably. He is best remembered for his incredible match winning partnership with Kaif in the Natwest Series Final against England in 2002; his six sixes in an over of Stuart Broad in a World Cup T20—2007 match against England again and his man-of-the-tournament performance in World Cup—2011 that India won.

After the World Cup—2011 Yuvraj Singh has been in and out of the Indian team due to fitness problems. He skipped the West Indies tour in June-July 2011 citing lung infection. He arrived in England for the July-September 2011 Test and ODI series, but his performance was not consistent. He was even ridiculed by some who knew nothing about his condition. Yuvraj played two tests for the West Indies tour of India and had forgettable scores. He was dropped from Team India for the ODI series against West Indies and for the Indian squad touring Australia from December 2011.

After a few weeks of the World Cup victory when celebrations were finally over Yuvraj was taken to a doctor due to his persistent coughing and vomiting problems. These problems which he suffered during the World Cup matches too were dismissed as due to allergy and stress. But when the problems continued he had to take medical advice. The verdict was lung cancer.

His family could not accept this and Yuvraj himself did not believe it since he said he felt fine and energetic as ever. Rigorous medical tests were done regularly for three months and the cricket superstar was in constant agony. His mother vouched for the excruciating pain that he used to suffer on a daily basis. Yuvraj never lost hope and spirit though.

And the good news now is that the tumor is benign and not malignant as believed earlier. The third biopsy confirmed it. We lost Malcom Marshall, one of the finest pacers of West Indies, in 1999 to cancer, but several others including veteran Geoffrey Boycott fought cancer bravely and successfully.

We need Yuvraj Singh to go on winning for India. We pray for his immediate recovery. A born winner cannot ever lose the battle against death.

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