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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