No reason why I can’t come back again: Yuvraj

June 22, 2012

yuvaraj_singh

Yuvraj Singh is renowned for his fighting spirit when the chips are down. He waged many successful battles and guided the Men in Blue to several scintillating victories and lifted his team-mates’ morale.

Yuvi, who is back after undergoing chemotherapy for a rare tumour, is now on a mission to make a comeback into the Indian team.

His target is to play at the Twenty20 World Cup, starting in Sri Lanka in September.

Yuvraj himself knows it would be a difficult task, but he is willing to fight against all odds.

“I have already been out of the hospital for three months and my body is taking a little bit of time to recover. I am not sure whether I am going to play at the T20 World Cup. All I said was my target is to get fit for the T20 World Cup. Before that I have to play a couple of domestic games,” the 30-year old left hand batsman told reporters on the sidelines of the Indian Property Show at the World Trade Centre here on Thursday.

Yuvarj is in Dubai as the brand ambassador of Investors Clinic, an Indian reality services company, who is participating in the show. The Punjab-based cricketer admitted that fighting cancer was a tough challenge for him.

“Before the World Cup I had a very bad year with injuries. So it was tough on my body. Battling cancer was something, which I really can’t express. It was the toughest period in my life. I can’t really give a timeframe as to when I would be back. I have to work extra hours and let’s see what I can do. I have the will. I’ve come back in the past and there is no reason why can’t I come back again.

He was the man of the tournament in India’s World Cup triumph last year. Yuvraj admitted that he got a lot of inspiration while reading the book of Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times after having survived cancer.

“I read Armstrong’s book ‘It’s not about the bike: My journey back to life’ a couple of years ago and I didn’t complete. May be this is the way I had to come back and read the book again. Lance’s book was definitely an inspiring one. His cancer was much worse than mine and the way he showed the dedication to come back and win the Tour de France seven times in a row was an amazing feat. Rather than a sporting hero he is a real life hero.

“Fight till you die” is what Yuvraj, who had gone through one of his toughest phases in life, has to say to the struggling cricketers.

Later, while speaking to Khaleej Times, he said his Twitter updates regarding his treatment were to enthuse the cancer patients.

“It was not only to avoid speculation regarding my treatment but also for people to understand that people who have been diagnosed with cancer to fight it and be positive about it. I wanted to tell them ‘don’t be shy, don’t be afraid.’ I know it is not an easy thing to go through but just wanted to give a little bit of inspiration to people out there and to be strong about it.

Regarding the support he received from the fans, Yuvraj said: “The support was immense. I think the whole of India was praying. I think I only became better because of their prayers. It is very overwhelming. It is amazing to see how many people love me.



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News Network
February 5,2020

New Delhi, Feb 5: IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has denied any financial dealings with the controversial Rose Valley Group except for it being a sponsor of the side's official jerseys in 2012 and 2013.

KKR issued the clarification after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Rose Valley's assets worth over Rs 70 crore on Monday. The attached assets include Rs 11.87 crore bank deposits of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd, that owns KKR, in connection with a money laundering probe.

The franchise said it hopes for the matter to be resolved expeditiously.

"Rose Valley Hotels was one of KKR's IPL jersey sponsors for IPL seasons 2012 and 2013. Rose Valley had paid KKR an approx. amount of Rs 11.87 crore as sponsorship fees," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

"KKR had no other dealings with the Rose Valley Group including Rose Valley’s micro finance business," he added.

The statement added that in July last year, KRSPL (Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd), received a "witness summon" from the ED in connection with an investigation relating to the Rose Valley Group, particularly its micro finance business.

"The ED continues the investigation of Rose Valley. KKR continues to cooperate with the authorities in all respects," Mysore said.

"As part of the investigative process, sometime in October 2019, the ED placed a lien on the said amount earlier paid by Rose Valley to KKR," he asserted.

The directors of KRSPL include Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri Khan, actor Juhi Chawla's husband Jay Mehta, Mysore and two others.

Mysore was questioned in this case by ED's Kolkata office in October last year.

Apart from KRSPL, the ED attached properties of two other entities -- Multiple Resorts Pvt. Ltd. and Kolkata's St Xavier's College on Monday.

The ED registered an FIR against the Rose Valley group, its chairman Gautam Kundu and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2014.

Kundu was arrested by the agency in Kolkata in 2015 and is in judicial custody at present.

The ED has filed multiple charge sheets in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar courts in this connection and total attachments are now worth Rs 4,750 crore.

The group has been charged by the ED and the CBI with "illegally and fraudulently collecting deposits from public with the intention to cheat them by falsely promising high returns on their investment", thereby perpetrating a ponzi-like fraud.

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News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: No foreign player will be available for this year's IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government to contain the novel coronavirus threat, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday, casting fresh doubts on the fate of the event.

"The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government's directive, they can't come till April 15," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The government issued fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in the wake of new positive cases of novel coronavirus in the country.

India has reported 60 positive cases in the outbreak which has led to over 4,000 deaths globally.

The fate of the IPL itself will be decided on March 14 at the event's Governing Council meeting in Mumbai. "All decisions will be taken by the GC in Mumbai," the source said.

Having the IPL, starting March 29, played in empty stadiums is an option being explored.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Jeddah, Jan 3: Spanish driver Fernando Alonso is aiming to create history as the first Formula One world champion to win the Dakar Rally when the 12-day marathon gets underway in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Alonso, who won the F1 championship with Renault in 2005 and 2006, is one of 351 starters in this year's 7,500 km race which has moved from South America to Saudi Arabia, both venues a long way from the original 1979 route between Paris and the Senegalese capital Dakar.

Among the starters will be motorbikes, quad bikes and trucks but Alonso, who will have five-time bike champion Marc Coma navigating his Toyota, will be in the car category as he bids to become one of the greatest all-round drivers of all time.

Apart from his success in F1, the 38-year-old Spaniard has also won the Le Mans 24-hour race and has singled out the Indianapolis 500 as his priority for 2020. He describes Dakar as “the biggest challenge of my career”.

Alonso is not the first F1 driver to take part in the race, however.

The Belgian Jacky Ickx, a winner of eight grand prix and six-time winner of Le Mans, won Dakar in 1983 and came second in 1986 and 1989. Frenchman Patrick Tambay, who had two wins in his 114 grand prix, came third in 1988 and 1989.

Given the treacherous conditions--long stretches of sand dunes--Alonso is not overly confident of challenging for victory, noting that even the nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb was unable to deliver when he raced the Dakar. Loeb won 13 stages but could only finish second in 2017 and third in 2019.

“If Loeb still hasn't won the Dakar, imagine me, who is coming from asphalt,” Alonso told RTVE. “I think the goal is more to approach the rally as an enriching experience for us.”

Fellow Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is a more likely candidate, not least because the Qatari is a three-time winner and reigning champion.

"Give me some sand and I'm happy," Al-Attiyah told dakar.com.

He will be pressed, however, by the Minis of Carlos Sainz and 'Monsieur Dakar' aka Stephane Peterhansel who has won 13 Dakars across bikes and cars in 30 races.

“We are obviously very excited about the Dakar in Saudi Arabia. It will be a new challenge for everyone,” said Peterhansel who will be partnered by Paulo Fiuza after the Frenchman's wife Andrea pulled out for health reasons.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible to contest the rally with Andrea, as was planned, however I have known Paulo Fiuza for a very long time. According to the organisers, the navigation will be very complicated and play a major role this time.”

Cyril Despres, a five-time winner on bikes, is also back with a new teammate -- explorer Mike Horn.

“I was stuck in the ice for a month, and now I'm heading to Jeddah. For the first time, the Dakar Rally is in Saudi Arabia and I'm doing it with a very good friend of mine, Cyril Despres,” tweeted Horn whose adventures include an 18-month solo journey around the equator without using any motorised transport.

Horn is also the first man to travel without dogs or transport to the North Pole during winter, in permanent darkness.

Across the dunes of Saudi Arabia that experience may come in handy.

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