Revision as of 21:32, 20 February 2017

Achievements

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.“

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

The Times of India

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.