Yuvraj Singh burst on to the international scene with an impeccable knock against Australia in the 2000-2001 Mini World Cup in Nairobi. Two years later, he steered India to that improbable and memorable Natwest series victory in England in 2002. Along with Mohammad Kaif, he was expected to hold India’s batting fort for some time to come. But in a career plagued by inconsistency, injury, and expectation, he today finds himself as that might-have-been who may have taken a wrong turn somewhere down the line.

Strong and supremely talented, Yuvraj reminds me of someone born to bat. A southpaw who in his prime invites comparisons to immortals such as Lara and Gower, he was tipped to be a mainstay in India’s middle order for some time to come. He started out as a consistent ODI batsman who could pick apart most bowling attacks with disdain. He bailed India out of many a pickle while evolving into a lethal finisher and over the early to middle part of this decade made the number 5 or 6 position his own. However, as he lost his form and the runs dried up, the picture did not seem as rosy anymore. The good do not become great overnight, for that all-important transition involves single-minded dedication and passion, and the right attitude to boot.

I often get the feeling that Yuvraj gets lost in that other world of fame and fortune and loses sight of the fact that he does for a living, what a good proportion of a billion others grow up wanting to do – don the India colors. Very few Indians have the honor of playing an integral part in affecting the collective mood of a cricket-crazy nation, and to not recognize the magnitude of this while giving your all is inexcusable.

He has been grossly out of form of late, and as vice-captain of the ODI side, he fails to help his cause when reports circulate about him partying late into the night before an important match. In both the print and broadcast media, I see his hands around an endorsed product or a pretty woman more often than a cricket bat.

His average in both forms of the game hovers around the early to mid-thirties, far short of the expectations placed upon one of the country’s premier established batsmen. He has been public and incessant about his belief that he deserves a regular spot in India’s test team, but he has failed to deliver on a regular basis on more than one occasion. On the recent tour to Australia, Rahul Dravid was even forced to open the batting in order to accommodate Yuvraj in the middle order. There was a time when he publicly admitted his desire to captain the national team, and days later there were reports about his own team questioning his attitude.

I am beginning to believe that he will never reach the promised land. People without the right attitude seldom do. Andrew Symonds recently went fishing the day before Australia’s match against Bangladesh and later missed a compulsory team meeting. The Australian team management sent him home and made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would not wear the Baggy Green again unless he realigned himself with the right attitude and desire.

Yuvraj Singh is lucky he’s not Australian, for he’d be making a living off a different career by now.

Photo Courtesy: Prabhu.S, BInguyen

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