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!

Except it wasn’t 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.

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.

And yet, for all his achievements, many are left wondering - did Yuvraj Singh indeed fulfil his enormous potential?

Yuvraj Singh’s 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 India’s 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 couldn’t 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.

Make no mistake, Yuvraj’s 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.

He hasn’t 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.