One of the most charismatic personalities from the world of cricket Yuvraj Singh has taken a sabbatical from the game. And this time it is not due to his poor form but then because of something which was not in his hands. He was diagnosed of a rare germ cell cancer in his lung in November last year and then he has been out from any sort of cricketing action.

A fighter that Yuvraj is, he not only fought the deadliest of disease but is recovering very well from the physically strenuous chemotherapy and is expected to make a comeback soon with pre-Ranji season tournaments.

It is indeed very unfortunate that 2011 ICC player of the tournament could not feature in any of the ODI’s for India due to illness after his astonishing display in the mega event and he would be itching to come to do something which he always loved doing.

Well as all have known, Yuvraj has been one of the most prolific athletes of the Indian Team for a long time and after his illness can he maintain same kind of energy level on the field? The stylish southpaw’s will power has seen him start his fitness drill in NCA, Bangalore again and has also played a four overs’ match against Ishant Sharma, his Indian team-mate, which is a good sign. Returning to international action requires lot more than that and would be very difficult for him to maintain that kind of energy on the field.

But then again the fact that Lance Armstrong made a comeback from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France for seventh consecutive times and it does prove that comeback from cancer is indeed possible provided one is ready to work for it. Yuvraj is doing just that and physically things are evenly placed and he can make to the cricket. Moreover, it is the same very Lance Armstrong who is his inspiration.

But the question arises how tough will it be for even the champion like Yuvraj to make a comeback realistically. Yuvi has been always been a fighter and his resiliency is unquestionable but then even though he wants to jump back to action soon, it would not be that easy like earlier where his comeback depended totally on his form. He not only has to fight his fitness and regain shape before he prepares himself for a cricketing action, he has to find form and fight it out with many youngsters who have made a name for themselves in the last one year or so.

What can work against Yuvraj is that he is ageing and since his lay-off, a lot of players have tried and tested. Few seem to have cemented their place in the senior side and also lot of players would be given a chance to get into the national side on the basis of their IPL performance. Now if any of these players perform and get into the team, then there is no reason as to why would they would be dropped from the side to accommodate Yuvi in the squad.

Yuvi has been a fighter and made several comebacks, but for a player who has been out of action for long and for reasons other than cricket, especially when it’s health, the comeback path do gets more difficult.

Like on occasions when players are dropped due to their performance they still continue to play domestic cricket, but for Yuvraj he has been out of it completely. He is a proven customer for the team and does deserve a chance to play but then by the time he actually makes a comeback, India would have already played significant amount of matches and if someone playing at Yuvi’s spot makes that his forte, things will definitely become tougher for the southpaw.

The competition is immense and his class might prove to be his biggest strength but then selectors would definitely look into the form rather than attributes and class and past glories.

Players like Yuvraj epitomize grit and determination and even after going through so much his thought of making a comeback shows his love for the game and his desire to make a comeback. He does deserve a comeback especially when he is doing so much for it, but then even he knows it is a big ask. But like his idol Lance Armstrong, we do wish Yuvi the best of luck and hope he comes back to rule the 22 yards all over again.

By Indian Sports News