Yuvraj Singh’s story can be compared with those of medieval warriors who suffered a setback and then made a historic comeback to conquer.
Yuvraj, who took a nine-month break from the game, returned to international cricket in the last T20 match against New Zealand. He played well in that match but was still far from the Yuvraj of old. He then played in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and put up a decent all-round performance in the tournament.
His next challenge was to make it to the Test squad, something which looked improbable at that point in his career.
He made a dream return to first-class cricket, scoring a double century to announce his comeback to the longer version of the game. That innings earned him a place in the squad for the England series. However, critics still did not trust his ability and raised questions about his fitness.
Silencing the critics
He silenced them all with a brilliant half-century in the first innings of the first Test and left no room for anyone to put his selection down to sentiment.
He was not his usual self in the early part of his innings, but once he had his eye in, his stroke-making was immaculate.
He middled his shots and looked a dominant force. He seemed well set for a century but holed out in the deep while trying to hit a full toss from Samit Patel out of the ground.
He scored 74 off 151 deliveries, including six fours and two sixes. Yuvi could not complete a century, but he proved that he has matured over the last year. The player who had always found it hard to cement his place in the Test side has finally made a strong statement that he belongs in this format of the game.
His innings made a big impact, and he can now stake his claim to a place in the Test squad entirely on merit.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
