Yuvraj Singh, cricketer
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Contents |
A brief biography
June 11, 2019: The Times of India
From: June 11, 2019: The Times of India
A matchwinner whose highs & lows were never far apart
The biggest irony about Yuvraj Singh’s career is that despite his achievements — and there were many of them — the announcement of his retirement from international cricket and IPL leaves many fans with a feeling that he never quite lived up to his tremendous potential.
He first burst on to the scene with a dazzling 84 against Australia as an 18-year-old. In the years that followed, Yuvraj had spectacular successes and frequent failures, battled emotional demons and cancer, was repeatedly dropped and made numerous comebacks. But one thing remained constant.
In the words of Sachin Tendulkar, he was a player who mattered when it mattered most. Be it the inaugural World T20, or the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj was a matchwinner who could walk into any dream Indian ODI XI.
In a cruel twist, Yuvi’s highest and lowest points virtually coincided. He played the 2011 World Cup with his body afflicted with cancer.
His career
Rohan Alvares, June 11, 2019: The Times of India
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From: Rohan Alvares, June 11, 2019: The Times of India
From: Rohan Alvares, June 11, 2019: The Times of India
GOODBYE, WARRIOR PRINCE
Emotional Yuvraj Says Winning World Cup In 2011 The Highest Point Of His Career
Mumbai:
It didn’t take long for Yuvraj Singh to announce his arrival in international cricket. It has, however, taken nearly two decades filled with amazing highs and some agonising lows, for the all-rounder from Chandigarh to painfully bring the curtain down on his international and Indian Premier League career.
Considering the 37-year-old last donned the national team jersey in a One-Day International against West Indies two years ago, he would have known his days in the game were numbered. Not that it made departing from the scene any easy. “After 25 years in and around 22 yards and almost 17 years of international cricket on and off, I have decided to move on. Thank you for taking the time out to be here and to support me,” an emotional Yuvraj told a huge media gathering here on Monday, with his mother Shabnam and wife Hazel Keech also present.
“Biggest moment in my career would definitely be winning the 2011 World Cup and being man of the series. Winning it in India as well and after 28 years, there cannot be a bigger high,” he said, the admission, rather appropriately, coming at a downtown hotel not far away from the Wankhede Stadium where MS Dhoni’s famous six won India its second World Cup crown.
If that professional high was something that Yuvraj would have found hard to imagine becoming a reality as a young cricketer, surely nothing could have prepared him for the grave personal challenge he would soon confront when he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour located between his lungs. “It was like touching the sky and then falling down at light speed and hitting the ground hard. As all this happened so quickly and that too when I was at the peak of my career. “But in that moment, everyone I knew, to whom I mattered, stood together for me; my fans, my friends and family,” Yuvraj said.
Prior to reading out from a prepared statement during Monday’s press gathering, a short video depicting Yuvraj’s rise as a cricketer was played which also shed light on the troubled relationship he shared with his father Yograj.
The two are seen having a frank conversation where Yuvraj reminds his dad about the harsh treatment he felt he was subjected to. “I spoke to him and all the demons inside me as a kid came out. It was a very peaceful moment for me to have that closure. I have never had that chat with him in the last 20 years. He’s always been like a dragon to me. Just confessing to the dragon was a very difficult time. We both have grown up,” Yuvraj said, before triggering laughter with a quick dig at his father. “I have grown up, I don’t know about him.”
For someone who was once hot property in the lucrative world of the IPL, Yuvraj’s stock had plummetted to the extent that Mumbai Indians snapped him up ahead of the 2019 season at his base price. He said he was now hoping to get the BCCI’s blessing to play in overseas T20 leagues. “I had decided last year that this IPL would be my last and I’ll give it my best shot.
“I want to go and play T20 cricket...
But nobody wants to play me in IPL and I am not available for IPL. So it works both ways. I’m looking forward to going and playing outside India. At this age I can manage to play some kind of fun cricket. I want to go and enjoy my life.”
Highlights
MAN FOR BIG OCCASIONS
Yuvraj Singh’s legend is built around his ability to raise his game on the biggest stage. Be it dealing with a quality Aussie attack, the first time he played for India or battling against the odds in 2011 World Cup, Yuvi never took a backward step.
84 VS OZ, KNOCKOUT TROPHY, NAIROBI, OCT 7, 2000: Yuvraj’s first int’l innings was a combination of style and grit that won him the MoM award
69 VS ENG, NATWEST FINAL, JULY 13, 2002: Yuvi’s partnership with Kaif was the cornerstone of one of India’s most famous wins in ODIs
SIX SIXES IN AN OVER VS ENG, 2007 T20 WC: Southpaw hit Broad for 36 in an over to set tone for a dream run that culminated in India becoming T20 world champs
85* VS ENG, 1ST TEST, CHENNAI, 2008: Yuvi played 2nd fiddle to Tendulkar as India chased down 387 on difficult Day 5 pitch
MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT IN 2011 WORLD CUP: Yuvraj Singh’s allround efforts throughout the tournament saw India clinch their 2nd 50-over WC title. He finished with 362 runs, including 4 fifties and 1 century, and also took 15 wickets
Harbhajan Singh’s tribute
Harbhajan Singh, June 11, 2019: The Times of India
For me, Yuvi above many ODI legends
My memories with Yuvraj go back to our U-14 days — from that level till we played for India, we were together. He’s been a champion for Team India. Wherever he’s played, he’s shown that he’s a big matchwinner. Even today, the No. 4 batting position that he ‘vacated’, hasn’t been filled. We haven’t been able to find a match-winner like him at No. 4.
We wouldn’t have won the 2011 World Cup without his efforts. Winning two World Cups (including WorldT20 in 2007) has been his biggest gift to India. He was always full of talent, and he did complete justice to it. He is an absolute legend of limited-overs cricket. I’ve not seen many who could bat like him and win games with so much ease. He was extremely difficult to bowl to. I’ve played alongside so many legends but I would place Yuvraj above many of them.
His father had a huge role in his career. When I was young, I would go over to his place to see his father prepare him in a bizarre way. On a concrete surface, he would make him bat against a plastic ball, bowled at over 140, sometimes 150 kmph, from a distance of 15-17 yards. Those balls hit you worse than the actual leather ball. Hence, Yuvraj never had problems facing fast bowling. Yuvraj, in his prime, in today’s era, would probably have been the world’s best batsman. His ability was such that he would decimate any bowler at will. If back then five fielders were allowed inside the circle till the 40th over, Yuvraj would have been having a ball today.
The way he beat cancer is unbelievable. He inspired many kids to play for India by winning matches off his bat, but the way he beat cancer showed the champion that he is. He wanted to beat cancer, to inspire people that they can also do it. It was incredible. (As told to Gaurav Gupta in Southampton)
Achievements
Achievements (2000-17), in brief
Partha Bhaduri, June 6, 2017: The Times of India
Yuvraj Singh Can Take The Hard Knocks And Turn Them Into Blessings
Back in 2000, a tall and spindly teenager from Punjab with a gift for stunning strokeplay made the cricket world sit up and take notice in the Champions Trophy in Nairobi. On Sunday 17 years later, Yuvraj Singh turned the clock at Edgbaston with a knock (53 off 32 balls) that had the nation enthralled and which his captain described was “gamechanging.“
Between those two knocks hangs one of the most incredible life stories in modern sports. Consider this: Yuvraj is the only cricketer to hit six sixes in an over in a World Cup game -it came against England in T20 2007. He was the player of the series in the 2011 World Cup. Then days after his finest moment in sports, he was detected with cancer. He underwent three rounds of chemotherapy in the US. And then, he was lampooned for failing in the 2014 T20 World Cup final against Sri Lanka.
It seems a bit harsh that fate chose Yuvraj Singh, forever the big-hearted, happy-go-lucky , party-loving, insanelytalented cricketer, for such stern trials.Trials to test his faith. To shake his beliefs to the core. To make him contemplate giving up the game, and then to reach deep, deep within to find, and nurture, that one spark to keep going.
The Yuvraj who first shone on in the 2000 Champions Trophy, and the one who won the game for India on Sunday, in the same Champions Trophy 17 years later, are two different people. The new one has a thicker skin. His lips are usually pursed, suggestive of effort. The eyes usually glare. The mind seems clearer. The tears flow more easily now, especially in moments of elation.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Yuvraj, the hero of India's big win, would dedicate the knock to fighters of all hues. “My innings on #CancerSurvivorDay is dedicated to all the heroes and survivors. Also my thoughts and prayers to all impacted in #londonattack,“ he tweeted.
Who knows survival better? After all, where are the people of his generation? Nobody . Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag none of them were playing at Edgbaston. As fate, again, would have it, the lows, inevitably , have been followed by highs, or incredible strokes of luck. The 150 against England at Cuttack this year was hailed as a comeback fit for the gods. He had not played a single ODI between the years 2014-16.Sunday's is again a fairytale knock, the kind which can be conjured only by someone leading a charmed life.
Why did Hasan Ali, after all, not manage to hold on to a catch even schoolchildren wouldn't fumble? Yuvraj retorted with the fastest fifty by an Indian, off 29 balls, in the Champions Trophy. In his book about the struggles with cancer, he wrote, “I was not going to feel sorry for myself.“ On Sunday, he said, “You just have to back yourself, and tell the opposition you're here to attack. I was dropped, but I capitalized.“
Yuvraj was playing in England for the first time since 2007. He had been ill when India landed, missing training sessions and two warm-up games.His selection wasn't automatic, with Dinesh Karthik breathing down his neck. But he had a backer in captain Virat Kohli, who often seems in awe of Yuvraj's sublime strokeplay .
Back in January, Yuvraj admitted he had nearly given up the game, only to be prodded to play on by the likes of Kohli. On Sunday, Kohli said, “I felt like a club batsman while playing alongside Yuvi. It was a game-changing innings. If he plays like that you know the team is always in a good space. That's why we still back him, and will continue backing him. Three times out of five he will do it for you.“
Three times out of five are good odds, the kind Yuvraj would gladly take. After all, he has been riding destiny's roller-coaster for a while now, and getting pretty good at it. Maybe, there's a reason fate chose him. He can take the hard knocks and turn them into blessings. He's a survivor, maybe the best there is in modern sport.
2007-17: Six sixes
Ten years of Yuvraj Singh's six sixes, Sep 19, 2017: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
It was the fourth time in the history of cricket that a batsman hit a six off each of the six balls of an over
A bickering of sorts with Flintoff at the end of the previous over led to the hammering of Broad
England fell short by 18 runs, failing to register a win in the Super Eights
In 2007, it was on this unforgettable day at Kingsmead that Yuvraj Singh etched his name into the record books by hitting six consecutive sixes off a hapless Stuart Broad during the India-England match of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. And for whatever he has achieved as an Indian cricketer, Yuvraj will perhaps most be associated with September 19, 2007.
Virender Sehwag (68) and Gautam Gambhir (58) gave a solid foundation to India, but that over off Broad eclipsed everything else. A bickering of sorts with Andrew Flintoff at the end of the previous over led to the hammering of Broad who was hit all around the ground by a charged up Yuvraj. It was the fourth time in the history of cricket, but first in Twenty20 internationals that a batsman hit a six off each of the six balls of an over. Needless to say, it was an exhibition of thrilling batting from the left-hander.
The first delivery of Broad's final over was swung over midwicket for a massive six and the ball landed outside the stadium. The second ball was flicked behind square for six more. On the third ball, Yuvraj backed away and carved the ball over the covers. By now, the fans were going berserk. An ashen-faced Broad changed his angle to around the stumps, but erred in length. A full toss outside the off stump was slashed over backward point. Four balls, four sixes. The crowd now knew something special was happening.
2011: World Cup Group League match
Dwaipayan Datta, Resilience pays off for `gamechanger' Yuvi: Jan 20, 2017: The Times of India
March 20, 2011.Sounds like distant memory?
It was Holi and on a su per hot day in Chennai, Yuvraj Singh blazed away to a 113 against West Indies in a World Cup group league match. That innings was one of the many reasons why he won the Player of the Tournament award in India's biggest ODI success in recent years. Little did Yuvi know that it will take him another six years to score his next ODI ton.
A lot has happened in Yuvraj's life since then -he has fought cancer, almost singlehandedly lost India a T20 World Cup final and kept going in an out of the Indian team. But there was one common thread -he never gave up.
And in Cuttack, when Yuvraj went out to bat, he knew he was on trial. There are many contenders for the No. 4 slot in the ODI team, he hadn't got runs in the first ODI, and a failure would certainly have made Virat Kohli -Yuvi's biggest backer in recent times -think about giving Manish Pandey a chance in the remaining game in this series, the last One-dayer before the Champions Trophy .
A score of 22-2, which became 25-3 very soon, isn't exactly a platform for a stroke-player to go out and play his shots. But there was a calmness about Yuvraj on Thursday. It seemed the left-hander had cleared the cobwebs of the mind and was playing a game that made him one of the best ODI players of the first decade of the 2000s. “I had a word with Sanjay Bangar (batting coach) and I told him after the first ODI that the way I was hitting the ball I will go big,“ Yuvi said. He has scored centuries against more challenging attacks than this one. But given the circumstances, this one meant a lot. “This is probably one of my best innings...I just wanted to play down the ground and not take much risk. I have been hitting the ball well in the whole domestic season,“ Yuvi summed up his effort.
The fact that MS Dhoni settled down at the other end made things little easier for Yuvi.Dhoni understands Yuvi's game well and he kept reminding the 36-year-old that he has to keep going even after the century.“Dhoni has been a sensational captain for India, I said before when Mahi is not captaining, he will bat more freely,“ the 36-yearold had a word of praise for his old mate at the other end. Even before this series, Yuvraj had said, “Dhoni has a lot to contribute as a player in the team. I think he's gonna play the way he used to. We were both very fearless when we used to play together, so hopefully we can do the same in the upcoming series.“
Achievements in ODI as in June 2017
See graphic.
Challenges
thought of giving up the game
Sam Chakraborty, `I almost gave up after being dropped', Jan 20, 2017: The Times of India
Yuvraj Singh doesn't believe in hiding his emotions. On a day he cracked his highest individual ODI score, the Punjab southpaw revealed he had thought about giving up the game after being dropped from the team.
“When I came back from cancer it was hard work. I was not performing and after being dropped I thought (about) whether I wanted to continue or not,“ Yuvraj said, crediting `hard work' for the change in his fortunes. “I don't read newspapers, neither do I watch television. I don't like to put too much pressure on myself. I had a good run in the Ranji Trophy, so was just waiting to make it count big.“
The 35-year-old Yuvraj and MS Dhoni had often been the pivot of an India victory , and Yuvraj said, “MS andd I we have previously won quite a number of matches for India. He has been an experienced guy and it was great to see the way he put it to use.“
Not to forgetting to mention Virat Kohli, Yuvraj added, “Virat showed a lot of faith and belief in me. 150 is my highest.“
Personal life
The ladies in Singh’s life
Yuvraj Singh's Bollywood connection
Anchal Kumar: Yuvraj's appearances with Anchal Kumar at several IPL parties made way for rumours about their link-up. Acording to a report, Anchal had said that she and Yuvraj are childhood friends and know each other from their Chandigarh days. She met him at an IPL party after a long time, and spotlight came in the way of their precious friendship. In an interview, when asked about their reaction after reading reports about their link-up, Yuvraj said that he was angry, but he has learnt to stay cool; while Anchal said that she got furious and it took her many days to get back to normal.
Anusha Dandekar: Yuvraj Singh attended the release event of Anusha Dandekar's international debut track Better than your EX in Mumbai. According to an Ndtv.com report, it was rumoured that Yuvraj even accompanied the VJ-turned-actress to a party hosted by Salman Khan. That sent the gossip mills abuzz with rumours of the two dating each other. The report attributes sources saying that Yuvi was going steady with Anusha for a couple of months and they were spotted at various parties until their break-up.
Deepika Padukone: Before Deepika Padukone started dating Ranbir Kapoor, she was reportedly in a relationship with Yuvraj. She had reportedly hosted Yuvraj's birthday party at her residence once. Throughout their relationship the couple maintained that they are just good friends. However she broke off with him and the reason for their split is said to be Yuvi's possessive nature.
Kim Sharma: Yuvraj Singh was in a long relationship with Kim Sharma and it was reported that the two broke-up as his mother disapproved of their relationship. There were rumours about them being ready to walk down the aisle. And, the reason behind the split was said to be Yuvraj's mother Shabnam, who didn't approve of her son's choice and Kim's habit of exposing too much in films. However, a source close to the family said to Pune Times that this isn't true and that it was Yuvraj's decision alone. When contacted, Shabnam Singh said to Pune Times that both Yuvi and Kim are grown-up individuals who can take their own decisions.
Minissha Lamba: According to a report on Ndtv.com, Yuvraj Singh and Minissha Lamba were allegedly spotted kissing at a lounge bar in Juhu. Minissha denied the incident saying that it was probably a lookalike, while Yuvi had refrained from commenting, the report stated. Ever since then, the two were never spotted together, the report concluded.
Neha Dhupia: According to a report (February 11, 2014), Yuvraj Singh and Neha Dhupia gave rumour mills much to talk about when they arrived together at Sophie Choudry's birthday party in Mumbai. There were reports of the two been spotted together at various occasions before. However in an interview with The Times of India (March 13, 2014), Neha denies the reports saying, "It's not true at all, I am not dating Yuvraj. I don't know why people keep asking me when I am going to 'settle down' in life. I am leading a settled life, but in our country settling down means that a girl finds a guy who can pay her bills. I am sure that I will find my soul mate and whenever it happens, I will talk about it openly."
Preeti Jhangiani: Yuvraj was also linked with Mohabbatein actress Preeti Jhangiani. Reportedly their romance fizzled out very soon their relationship did not last long. Preeti is now married to Parvin Dabas.
Preity Zinta: After Preity Zinta called off her relationship with industrialist boyfriend Ness Wadia, she was in headlines for her alleged closeness to Yuvraj Singh in 2008, who was the then captain of Kings XI Punjab IPL cricket team owned by Preity. Priety however denied all such reports, but she was being snapped with Yuvi on several occasions. In an interview with The Times of India (April 19, 2011), when asked about her link-up with Yuvraj, Preity had said that she was zapped when that happened. The issue was hyped even when there wasn't anything and she felt sad when people jumped the gun and got judgmental, she added.
Riya Sen: After his reported fallout with Deepika Padukone, rumours were rife about Yuvraj's new found relationship with Bollywood actress Riya Sen. Reportedly the duo met at a party and that is when Yuvraj fell for the Bengali beauty. According to an Ndtv.com report, it was widely reported that they sipped wine together and exited the party together.
Shazahn Padamsee: Yuvraj Singh was also linked to actress Shazahn Padamsee, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Ranbir Kapoor in the film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, in 2009. According to a report on Ndtv.com, the two have been spotted together attending several events, but they made sure to arrive and depart separately. The report further stated that Yuvi managed to wrangle a lucrative ad deal for Shazahn, bumping off Soha Ali Khan in the process. While talking to Zoom, Shazahn had said that she is on cordial terms with Yuvraj. Refuting all rumours about her link-up with Yuvraj, Shazahn said that there is no truth to these reports.
Relationships: Rumoured and real
The Times of India, Nov 14, 2015
Pratyush Patra
Yuvraj Singh may have lately struggled to find his way back into the dressing room of the Indian cricket team, but he seemed to have never gone out of form finding a way to a Bollywood actress' heart. The southpaw, who enjoys quite a female fan following, is all set to follow in the footsteps of Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, albeit on a different pitch. Now engaged to Hazel Keech, the flamboyant batsman is likely to walk down the aisle soon. But before he decided to get well settled on this crease, he showed he had no problems getting linked to one pretty actress after another.
Kim Sharma: This happens to be Yuvraj's longest innings. He apparently dated Kim Sharma for four years before they parted ways in 2007. While many speculated that the reason behind the split was Yuvraj's mother, who didn't approve of her son's choice, other reports suggested that Kim's 'obsessive and terribly abusive' behaviour forced Yuvraj to call off the relationship. "Kim would keep calling him up all the time and disturb him. It was killing his confidence. This is especially true of the time he was in Pakistan - but Yuvi avoided any kind of retaliation," one report said. While Yuvraj never opened up about what caused the split, Kim in various interviews said that the two were not compatible. The Mohabbatein actress is now married to Ali Punjani.
Preity Zinta: IPL saw Yuvraj working closely with team co-owner Preity Zinta. In the 2008, after Preity called off her relationship with industrialist boyfriend Ness Wadia, there was speculation that she'd moved on to Yuvi, then the captain of her team Kings XI Punjab. But both had rubbished all such reports, with Preity repeatedly and hotly asking why affectionate behaviour between colleagues should be construed as romantic.
Deepika Padukone: Deepika and Yuvraj have always denied ever having been in a relationship. However, when the actress once hosted Yuvraj's birthday party at her residence, it set the rumour mills churning. Both of them still have only nice things to say about each other.
Preeti Jhangiani: Another Mohabbatein girl reportedly charmed Yuvi, but this was said to be a short-lived innings, and Preeti soon married actor Parvin Dabas.
Grace: In 2010, Yuvraj was said to be dating actor Vivek Oberoi's former girlfriend Grace. Grace is a professional surfer from South Africa. Yuvi was spotted in Goa with her.
Riya Sen: If rumours are to be believed, Yuvraj met Bengali beauty Riya Sen at a party, and the two could not stop looking at each other. Riya, goes the pun, couldn't protect herself from Yuvi rays!
Aanchal Kumar: The IPL parties are legendary for having been almost as productive as the matches. Yuvraj had known model Aanchal Kumar since Class VI, but it was at an IPL party that the two really bonded, and started being spoken about as a couple. She had reportedly prayed for his speedy recovery from cancer and expressed her concern for him. The duo, however, denied being in a relationship and claimed that they were just childhood friends.
Neha Dhupia: At one of singer-actress Sophie Choudry's birthday parties, Yuvraj and Neha Dhupia arrived together, giving gossipmongers, predictably, much to talk about. They were often spotted together at various events. However, the actress has always denied any romantic relationship.
Minissha Lamba: It was a case of kiss and tell, literally - Yuvraj Singh and Minissha Lamba were apparently spotted kissing at a lounge bar in Mumbai. Pictures of the intimate moment surfaced on the internet in 2011. However, the actress claimed that the girl in the photo was her "lookalike", while Yuvi refrained from commenting on it.
Shazahn Padamsee: The then-newbie actress was apparently signed on as the brand ambassador of a major pen brand, replacing actress Soha Ali Khan. The brand's commercial featured Shazahn opposite Yuvi. Some saucy reports suggested Yuvraj might have had something to do with the replacement.
Anusha Dandekar: While recovering after his cancer treatment and making his way back into the party circuit, Yuvraj attended the launch of 'good friend' Anusha. Dandekar's debut album in Mumbai. The couple was rumoured to be dating in 2012.
Leepakshi Ellawadi: The dashing cricketer seemed to have found love once again in 2014, and for once, she was not an actress or a model. It was a fashion designer who stole his heart. He was spotted with designer Leepakshi Ellawadi on various occasions. Some reports said at the time that the duo was inseparable and tried to manage time for meetings.
