2012-02-08T00:57:00.000-08:00

Celebrities wish Yuvraj Singh a speedy recovery

The news of cricketer Yuvraj Singh diagnosed with cancer went viral on Sunday afternoon, with celebs vouching their support for him and praying for his speedy recovery.

The 30-year-old was first diagnosed with a non-malignant tumour of the lungs last year, but further tests revealed that it was cancer. He’s now undergoing chemotherapy in the United States of America.

Yuvraj, who has been undergoing chemotherapy since January, broke the secrecy around his illness when he blogged on January 27,“Reading Lance Armstrong’s book, it’s not about the bike! I’m sure it will motivate me and pull me through this time! Livestrong Yuvstrong.” Lance Armstrong is a cyclist who won multiple Tour de France titles after being treated for testicular cancer.

Yuvi, who’s popular with B-Towners, has had messages and support pouring out to him from Bollywood. Actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, “Shocked to learn of Yuvraj Singh down with cancer..Yuvraj if you read this, know that we all pray for you.. All shall and will be well.” He later advised, “Yuvraj, get up in the morning and say” it out loud —Everyday in every way I am getting better and better !!” You will !!”

Actor Dia Mirza posted, “Very upset to hear about Yuvraj! Let’s pray for his recovery. I know he’s a fighter and he’ll win this match.” Actor Ameesha Patel, who was once linked with the cricketer,was shocked to learn his illness. “Praying for my friend Yuvraj. He has to get well. Everyone pls pray for him .. He must fight this awful illness.”

It is not just the film industry that has extended their support to him. Liquor baron, Vijay Mallya, who’s close to him, wrote, “I am devastated 2 hear that my friend Yuvraj Singh has cancer. I pray 2 Balaji that he recovers n is back in action.” Politico Omar Addullah posted, “Here’s wishing Yuvraj Singh a speedy & complete recovery. On a good day there are few cricketers more exciting than him.” Gujarat CM Narendra Modi too, said, “Sad to hear about ill-health of Yuvraj Singh. He is a fighter and am sure he’ll come out of it very soon and play again for India.”

2012-02-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

Yuvraj Singh Biography

Yuvraj Singh or famously known as Yuvi has become the backbone of Indian Middle order. He became an overnight star when at the 2007 World Twenty20 against England he hit six sixes in a single over of Stuart Broad, which was a rare feat in international cricket.

Childhood and Early Career

Yuvraj Singh is a cricketer from Chandigarh in India.He was born on 12 December 1981 in Chandigarh, India. He is the son of former cricketer and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh.

Yuvraj was first noticed by the selectors while he captained the U-19 Punjab team in the final of the Cooch-Behar Trophy against Bihar U-19s. He scored 358 runs in the final match. He was then selected for the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in January 2000. The Indian team won the tournament. In 2000, he was selected for the first batch of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He displayed his potential in his second ODI against the Australians where he scored fast against a pace attack by seasoned bowlers like Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Glen McGarth . However, he was soon out of form, and in early 2001, he was dropped for the ODIs in India against Australia. Later in the year he scored an unbeaten 98 and helped India defeat Sri Lanka.

Coming Back to International Cricket

After the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Yuvraj was signed by Yorkshire, becoming the only the second Indian after Tendulkar to represent the county. However, he had a disappointing run, scoring less than 200 runs in either form of the game, but he described it as an important learning experience.

His superb partnership with Mohammad Kaif in the NatWest Series final against England in July 2002 led India to victory. He played for India at the 2003 Cricket World Cup. After that, he scored centuries against Australia and Zimbabwe. In the last match of the Round Robin League he scored 165 runs with Mohammad Kaif against West Indies and was declared the Man of the Match. However, his relations with his new coach Greg Chappel were strained at that time and he often had showdowns with the team management.

In the series in the West Indies, Yuvraj hit two fifties in four games, even though India lost the series 4-1. His performance was recognized and he was shortlisted by the ICC as one of four nominees for the International One Day player of the year award.

Becoming A Star Cricketer

Yuvraj’s form improved late in 2005 and early in 2006 in the ODI cricket. In three consecutive series, against South Africa and then against Pakistan and England, he scored centuries and was soon among the top ten of the ICC ODI batting rankings. Although India lost a series against West Indies, Yuvraj’s performance was noticed and he was shortlisted by the ICC as one of four nominees for the International One Day player of the year award.

Injuries and How Yuvi Returned to International Cricket
Due to illness, he was dropped in the tri-series against Australia and West Indies in Kuala Lumpur. He was now plagued by a knee injury which made him miss the tour of South Africa. He made a fast recovery and played in the ODI series against West Indies in India in January 2007. He was back in form now and played at the World Cup, where India made a first-round exit. However, Yuvraj continued to be in the team. In September 2007, the team captain Rahul Dravid resigned and Yuvraj was appointed as the ODI vice captain. He scored 121 in an ODI series against Australia.. In November 2008, he had returned to form, as India beat Pakistan on home soil; he was named the Man of the Series.

In November 2008, he hit a very fast century against England at Rajkot. Despite straining his back, he continued batting well and managed to dismiss four of England’s leading batsmen in the next match at Indore. This earned him two consecutive Man of the Match awards.

Yuvraj also scored very fast and went on to claim the Man of the Match award against Australia in the World Twenty20 semifinals at Durban. He is the icon player and captain for Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab. They came second in the Round Robin phase of the tournament, but lost their semi-final to the Chennai Super Kings.

On 1 May 2009, Yuvraj performed his first hat-trick in T20 cricket against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Kingsmead in Durban. He dismissed Robin Uthappa, Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis. On 17 May 2009, Yuvraj picked up his second Twenty20 hat-trick against Deccan Chargers at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. He claimed the wickets of leading batsmen like Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Venugopal Rao.

Where his style of playing is concerned, Yuvraj is primarily a left-handed batsman. But he can bowl part-time left-arm spin. He is better at batting against fast bowling than spin bowling. He is one of the good fielders in the Indian team, fielding primarily at point, with a good aim at the stumps. As an expert fielder, he has effected several ODI run outs. He was once known to have attitude problems, but later often assumed leadership positions under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy.

Yuvraj’s Sponsor

Regarding his commercial interests, Microsoft signed Yuvraj to be its brand ambassador for the Xbox 360 video game console when it was launched in India in 2006. He also endorsed Codemasters’ cricket video game Brian Lara International Cricket 2007. He also lent his voice to the Bollywood animated film, Jumbo, which was his career starting in Bollywood.

The Man of the Match against West Indies (2005), the Man of the Series against South Africa, Pakistan and England; he was now ranked among the top ten of the ICC ODI batting rankings. He was then short listed by the ICC as one of four nominees for the International One Day player of the year award. In 2008, he was declared the Man of the Match twice against New Zealand in a Test series played in India. He was awarded a Porsche 911 car by India’s BCCI for scoring 6 sixes in a single over while playing against England in the ECC World Twenty20 Super 8 match in Durban, South Africa. BCCI also gifted him Rs.10, 000,000 in cash for his superb performance in the tournament. In terms of strike rate, he is currently one of the world’s leading 20-20 batsmen.

Yuvraj SinGh

Yuvraj Singh Biography