Yuvraj Singh - The Merchant of Dreams
I had a dream. I was playing cricket and since it was a dream, I was invariably batting. The bowler runs in and I whack him for a 100-metres six over mid-wicket. The ball is lost and they bring out a new one. That felt good. The bowler runs in again, and this time, the flick of my wrist sends it soaring over square leg. 2 in 2! Ha! Bring it on, I say! I target the off-side now; cream it over cover. 3 in 3!
I am not just feeling good any more; I am feeling great. The bowler though is not feeling all that well. He is trembling in fear. He switches sides; fat, lot of good that will do him! It is a filthy full toss outside off, and I just help it over backward point. 4 in 4! I am invincible, I can do anything now. I am almost bored by now. Decide to get back to leg side again. Flick it over backward square leg this time. 6! 5 in 5! I am Super Man! No one can stop me. This is inevitable now. Pure academic interest. Only one thing can happen. I launch it into the orbit! 6 off 6! 6 off 6! I am on the top of the world.
Except it wasnât a dream; it was all too real. All too real that it was tough to believe when it happened - the Indian cricket team in the Quarter-Final of the 1st ever 20-20 World Cup facing off against a young Stuart Broad, who bowled at a scorching 150 kmph.
And that's how Yuvraj Singh, the Merchant of Dreams, finally arrived on the shores of Indian superstardom.
Cricket has taught me many a geographic lesson. This was one of them. Yuvraj Singh first burst on to the scenes in Nairobi, Kenya. An 18-year old Yuvraj, playing his debut tournament, carves out a magnificent 84 runs, at more than run-a-ball, against a marauding Aussie attack, boasting of the likes of McGrath, Lee and Gillespie. Not many that saw that innings have forgotten it.
As a sports fan, there is something particularly satisfying in spotting a special talent. And when you turn out to be right and the player goes on to achieve bigger things, that satisfaction is all the more special.
Yuvraj Singh went on to achieve bigger things. He was instrumental in two World Cup triumphs for India. He was one of Indiaâs greatest match-winners. Along with Mohammed Kaif, he played a starring role in Indiaâs greatest ODI chase, winning us the Natwest Trophy in London. He nonchalantly strolled his way to secure his place in the pantheon of Indiaâs greatest-ever ODI players.
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And yet, for all his achievements, many are left wondering - did Yuvraj Singh indeed fulfil his enormous potential?
Talent is a fickle friend. Yuvraj Singh was blessed with talent; he was cursed with an over-abundance of it. It wasnât enough that he was a great ODI player; why ever didnât he make a mark in Tests? It wasnât enough that he was our biggest match-winner; why ever didnât he become a successful captain? It wasnât enough that he was a great player; why ever didnât he become a legend?
Yuvraj Singhâs talent was so palpable, so obvious, so very abundant, that great things were predicted for him. At the age of 19, he was tipped to be a future Indian captain by the pundits. He was to be Indiaâs answer to Gary Sobers. He was to be the left-handed successor to Sachin Tendulkar. If the expectations are so astronomically high, even a Sachin Tendulkar gets called out for falling short in this crazy nation. Yuvraj Singh was no exception.
Dad Yograj Singh played one solitary Test match for India and all of six ODIs. He scored a total of six runs in Tests and one in ODIs, picked up one wicket in Tests and four in ODIs. He never played for India again. And as it so often happens, what he couldnât achieve, he wanted his son to achieve. He would live his dreams vicariously through the exploits of his son. Little wonder then that Yuvraj Singh turned out to be a merchant of dreams. Little wonder then, that Yuvraj Singh suffered from the burden of expectations all his life.
In a team of super stars, Yuvraj Singh was the most human of all. His flaws were evident, his struggles obvious, and his vulnerability was laid out for all to see. In many ways, Yuvraj Singh was the antithesis of MS Dhoni. MS Dhoni made his debut four years after Yuvraj Singh. Many would argue that he had half of Yuvrajâs natural talent. Yet he would go on to become Indiaâs most successful ODI and Test Captain and arguably the biggest name in World Cricket of his times. While MS Dhoni hid his emotions to the world behind an exterior of cool, Yuvraj wore his on his sleeve. And so it is easy to take his achievements for granted and focus on his shortcomings and limitations.
Make no mistake, Yuvrajâs career is a glorious one. His contribution to cricket goes beyond numbers and trophies. Yuvraj Singh, when in full flow, was a sight to behold. As you watch his bat describe a graceful 360o arc and effortlessly send the ball soaring into the orbit, it is hard not to experience pure joy. As he faced off Stuart Broad in that immortal over, the bat seemed a mere instrument for his imagination, the bowler almost his ally - complicit in the making of something ethereal. For all his talent, Yuvraj Singh never failed to give anything less than 100%. He took visible pride in playing for the country. A world with Yuvraj Singh was better than a world without Yuvraj Singh.
The 2011 World Cup was Yuvraj Singhâs destiny. He didnât know it then, but Yuvraj was battling cancer through the tournament. Poor form had dogged him for a while then before the tournament had started. For maybe once in his life, the expectations on him were not all that great. But Yuvraj Singh finally decided to embrace his destiny. He scored runs, picked up wickets and took great catches. As he swept the floor with his bat in pure naked display of raw emotion, it was hard not to get goose-bumps. He gifted his hero a World Cup and in doing so gifted the nation a memory.
He hasnât been the same since that World Cup. The magic seems to have deserted him. He continues to struggle to find a place in the team. But Yuvraj Singh - even if he does not pick up his bat again - will remain a hero, a winner.
If Yuvraj Singh asks, as Lara had famously done after his retirement, âHave I entertained you?â, the answer would be a resounding âYes!â. Yuvraj Singh made Cricket sexy. Yuvraj Singh made kids dream, Yuvraj Singh turned adults into kids for a brief while. Yuvraj Singh is the merchant of dreams, peddler of joy and the agent of hope. Happy Birthday Yuvraj Singh! Â Â