Yuvraj Singh hopes to be back for Twenty20 World Cup

June 20, 2012

Yuvraj-Singh

Dubai, June 20: Recuperating from what he describes as a shock that only a cancer patient can understand, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh says he hopes to be back in action for the World Twenty20 Championships in September even though it would be a "big challenge" for him.

"Playing for India is going to be a huge challenge for me because the body has been under a lot of shock which nobody can understand except me," Yuvraj told 'ICC Cricket 360' show.

"Only a cancer patient can understand what he is going through. So it's going to be a big challenge for me to come back and play for India again," he added.

The all-rounder refused to commit to when he anticipates returning to the cricket field, stating that he is keen to avoid coming back prematurely.

"Well I can't really give a time-frame but I have to see how my body is recovering and how fast I can come on the field. Actually I don't want to rush and I don't want to come back at 75 per cent fitness.

"I might take six months, I might take two months. So I don't know. But the day I feel 100 per cent I surely will be back," he said.

Yuvraj, who is best remembered for his astonishing six sixes off one Stuart Broad over at the ICC World Twenty20 Championships in 2007, hinted that he may be available for selection for the next edition.

"I think (the) favourites are India because we've got the biggest hitters - biggest hitters in town that's what I want to say. Hopefully I should be back by then.

"I'm not saying I'm the reason, it's just that I feel we have the strongest side and if we can sort out our bowling in T20s I'm sure we can be a strong unit. There are other strong teams like Australia, South Africa which always compete at the top level at world events," he said.

Yuvraj also spoke of his emotional battle against cancer. "Initially it was hard to accept that a guy like me who is training six to seven hours a day, running around all the time as an athlete, can get diagnosed with something like this. It took a long time to sink in but eventually I made peace with it. I knew I have an issue and I have to sort it out," he said.

Yuvraj said the incredible support he received from Indian fans during his treatment made a huge difference to his recovery and spirit.

"The support was overwhelming, especially from India. One of the students from a college in Indianapolis came to see me and I felt like I was in India.

"I just want to thank everybody for their support and for their care. I went through chemotherapy which is hard for everybody but the wishes and the love is what made me come back," said the dashing left-hander.

Yuvraj also justified sharing his emotional journey in coping with cancer in a very public manner via his personal Twitter account.

"There was a lot of speculation on what cancer I had, what had been going on, so I just want to keep everybody in the loop by saying this is what is happening and this is how my treatment is being done and I'm being positive.

"I just want to spread the message to other people who are diagnosed with such a disease that they can also fight it with the support of their family and their loved ones."

Having already returned to light training, Yuvraj believes that his recovery is going well, and is enjoying a healthier lifestyle.

"I'm feeling good. It's been two months since I finished my chemotherapy. Initially my energy levels were low but now I am following my diet and eating loads of food and it's getting better in recovery.

"I've done six or seven sessions of very light training and light yoga. I'm just getting back into the groove of being a normal person, breathe normally, which is a lot of excitement and fun for me at the moment."

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News Network
June 6,2020

Mumbai, Jun 6: Reminiscing about his 'special knock' of 208 runs from 153 balls, Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma revealed why his wife Ritika had got emotional after he smashed his third double century in ODIs.

Rohit narrated the incident during his appearance in Episode 2 of the 'Open nets with Mayank'.

The batsman, who was accompanied by Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank on the show, said his wife thought that he had twisted his hand while diving for the 196th run during the innings.

"As you can see my wife got emotional there, this day was special as it was my anniversary. Probably the best gift I could give it to her while I am on the field, it was quite emotional though," said Rohit during the candid chat.

"When I came from the ground, I just asked her why did you (Ritika) cry? So she told me that she thought I (Rohit) twisted my hand when I dived for my 196th run and that was a little worrying factor for her, she got little emotional of because of that I guess," Rohit added.

In the match, the 32-year-old scored 208 runs with 13 fours and 12 sixes against Sri Lanka at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

This enabled India to post a score of 392/4 in the allotted fifty overs.

India then went on to win the match by 141 runs.

"To be honest I was going pretty slow, I never thought I will get to a double hundred but once you cross 125, I feel it gets easier for you because bowlers are under pressure. Unless you make a mistake I don't think you can get out," said Rohit.

Rohit has scored two double hundreds against Sri Lanka and one against Australia in ODIs. The right-handed batsman is the only cricketer to make three double hundreds in ODI history.

Rohit, Shikhar, and Mayank would have been in action for Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Kings XI Punjab respectively, had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29. However, the tournament was suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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News Network
March 29,2020

New Delhi, Mar 29: Former Indian batsman Wasim Jaffer on Sunday picked his all-time IPL team and appointed wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni as its captain.

Jaffer's team's feature opener Rohit Sharma, current Indian skipper Virat Kohli, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, spinner R Ashwin, and pacer Jasprit Bumrah as seven domestic players.
While the foreign players spot have been occupied by West Indies' swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle, all-rounder Andre Russell, Afghanistan's spinner Rashid Khan, and Sri Lanka's veteran pacer Lasith Malinga.
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been picked as 12th man by Jaffer.

Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postpone the IPL to April 15, 2020, as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 outbreak.
The board also assured that it will work in unison with the Sports Ministry and will adhere to the guidelines issued.

The 13th edition of IPL was scheduled to commence from March 29. 

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Agencies
January 16,2020

New Delhi, Jan 16: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Thursday dropped from the BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, raising fresh doubts on the future of the former India captain who has not played since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand last year.

The BCCI announced the central contracts for the period of October 2019 to September 2020. Dhoni was in the A category, which fetches a player Rs 5 crore, until last year.

Skipper Virat Kohli, his deputy Rohit Sharma and top pacer Jasprit Bumrah were retained in the highest A+ bracket of Rs 7 crore.

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