It has been an eventful twelve months for Yuvraj Singh and he has come out of a mini slump in a superb manner, which only goes to show that he excels when his head is ruling his heart.
The dastardly act of terrorism brought the one-day series between India and England to a premature close and though the last two one-dayers were only of academic interest, players on the bench would have probably got their chances to prove their mettle. Unfortunately, that was not to be and as of now, (though things may change at any time), the Test series is likely to go on as per schedule at least as far as the BCCI and the ECB are concerned.
Unlike in India, the players’ associations in other countries call the shots which means that the tour may be cancelled if the players refuse to comply with the wishes of the ECB. The ECB will try its best to persuade its players to make the trip back to India but there is nothing that it can do if some individuals pull out of the tour.
While it remains to be seen how things pan out in the next few days with regard to the Test series, the England side would like to forget the recent one-day series in a hurry. The Indians outplayed them thoroughly and if there was one man who was head and shoulders above the rest, it was the flamboyant Punjab da Puttar, Yuvraj Singh.
After his outstanding feats in the T20, one saw the young man’s form dipping rapidly and it was an open secret that the team management was not too pleased with his attitude or lack of it during the Australian tour. One thing led to another and there were several questions that needed to be answered by the young dasher as he walked out to bat in the first one-dayer against England. Here was a match-winner who was probably trying to re-establish his place in the XI in the shorter version and maybe grab the spot left vacant by Ganguly in Test cricket. The big question was whether Yuvraj had learnt his lessons after a slide in his career graph and everyone waited with curiosity to see if he would raise the bar.
Not only did he raise the bar but made breathtaking statements by clobbering the English attack with a confidence bordering on arrogance. The crowds were in danger as he clubbed the ball with consummate ease and grandiosely notched up back to back hundreds.
The manner in which he batted was breathtaking and there was no doubt that cricket as it does on a regular basis had made Yuvraj realise that it cannot be relegated in the scale of priorities. If Yuvraj was probably guilty of ignoring the game for a brief while, one has to concede that like all of us, he is a human being first who also happens to be a fabulous batsman.
Of course, one can always point out that one Tendulkar has kept his dedication intact for a longer period. But it is worthwhile to point out that the World will be a boring place if a lot of people happen to be the same.
With his resounding knocks, Yuvraj has more or less made the number six slot his own in the coming Tests, but he still has to do a fair amount of work to cement his place in the longer version.
He has waited for a long time and it must have been frustrating at times that he was unable to make the cut primarily because there was no slot available in the Test side. Ganguly had a lot to do with Yuvraj blossoming into a match-winner and yet again, coincidentally, his retirement is once again providing Yuvraj with more than a ray of hope that he can come back into the Test side. The gifted strokemaker has the ability no doubt, but his temperament will be under scrutiny but I am sure that his current form will enable him to pass the test with flying colours. Obviously, he seems to have a fair bit of affinity towards the England bowlers and it will be a delight to watch if Yuvraj goes on to establish his place in the side. He will be a fitting replacement for “Dada” who made batting look easy when in full flow but Yuvraj besides being an elegant batsman, can maul an attack on his day with élan.
Yuvraj Singh will relish the challenge of Test cricket now that he is far wiser and calmer than he probably was when he made his debut. Moreover, he will take his guard after the top five Indian batsmen take good care of the opposition attack. Given the recent form of the Indian batting line-up, the situation will be ideal for Yuvraj to go out and play his natural game. The young man who was at the crossroads a few weeks ago, is back with a bang and with his form and confidence on a high, one can expect Yuvraj Singh to carry on blazing on all cylinders in the Tests as well. It has been an eventful twelve months for Yuvraj Singh and he has come out of a mini slump in a superb manner, which only goes to show that he excels when his head is ruling his heart.
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