Yuvraj Singh wound up on the losing side playing against NewZealand in a Twenty20 international in Chennai this week, but that matteredmuch less than the fact of his being there at all. It was the 31-year-oldIndian all-rounder’s first match since last November. Greeted with roars by alarge crowd that included his mother, Yuvraj bowled two overs of his slowleft-arm spin, then came into bat with India chasing New Zealand’s total of 167from its 20 overs.
Within a few minutes, he had struck New Zealand’s star spinner,Daniel Vettori, for a magnificent six, and there was a further spectacular blowfrom medium-pacer Jacob Oram as the contest came to a climax. But Yuvraj wasbowled by James Franklin for 34 in a final over that ended with India one runshort.
“We lost a game that we should have won, but for mepersonally it was a big emotional moment to get on the field,” said Yuvraj. Histreatment included three sessions of chemotherapy at the Indiana UniversityMedical Center in Indianapolis, where he was a patient of Dr. Lawrence Einhorn,who led the team that treated the cyclist Lance Armstrong and saved his life in1996.
While the full story of his recovery is to be told in athree-part television series, part two of his cricket career should rapidlyacquire some new chapters as he takes part in the World Twenty20, starting nextweek in Sri Lanka. Yuvraj’s teammates will welcome him for reasons that gobeyond good wishes for a sick colleague. He is the archetypal modern Indiancricketer: a thunderous hitter perfectly suited to shorter forms of the game.
Those talents have made him rich “ in 2009, Forbes magazinelisted him as the third-highest earning cricketer in the world, with an incomeof $5.5 million, including $4 million from endorsements. That was before theimmense boost to his marketability from his role in India’s 2011 World Cuptriumph, where he was voted Player of the Tournament after being Man of theMatch in four of its nine matches.
It remains to be seen if Yuvraj achieves one importantremaining ambition: mastering five-day test cricket. His record in the longestgame is modest, with only 37 matches for India and three scores of more than100 since his debut in 2000.
Those who were in Chennai on Tuesday will certainly rememberthat day, but its charismatic central figure clearly feels he still has more toprove.
