Yuvraj Singh: The second-life story

Return leg Star cricketer,who overcame battle with cancer,says he has changed for the better

Struggling to sit crossed-legged,a pre-teen cricketer,who is more Boon than Bevan,catches Yuvraj Singhs eye. Though drained after answering question after question on cancer and chemotherapy inside Gurgaons Pathway school,which also houses his academy,Yuvraj gives a glimpse of his old devilry. Five laps for this kid everyday, he tells the coach in mock anger.

But before the kids ample cheeks could turn red,he takes off the mask. Maazak kar raha hun yaar,aaj kal main bhi paanch round nahi bhaag sakta I am joking,these days even I cant run five laps, he says with his trademark chuckle.

Yuvi, his baseball cap turned back,cracking jokes at nets; its all too familiar and nothing seems to have changed. Except that the cap sports the logo of YOUWECAN,his cancer charity,and it is not Sachin paaji,Zak or Bhajji his three close mates in Team India who he has in splits.

But once he begins his interaction with the kids,Yuvi fades away and the new Yuvraj Singh takes over. The man who is talking,is the one who,after achieving his biggest dream,got the shock of his life. His healthy body though the waistline needs trimming doesnt quite show any visible signs of the battles it has fought over the last couple of years,but the weight of his words do.

Discipline is the most important thing for a young cricketer. Once you travel out,I dont want any complaints concerning discipline from outsiders, he says. The D word gets repeated several more times,as Yuvraj cautions the kids against smashing glasses,breaking bats and other assorted temper tantrums. I have done these things but trust me they are wrong.

Its been long,but Yuvraj is loving the company of kids. The restless agents are now whispering constant reminders about the waiting media as more interviewers line up. Also asking for Yuvrajs time is a tiffin of home-cooked lunch that arrives by car. It is 5 pm and Yuvraj might well call it an early dinner. Finally,he walks out of the nets.

Thats when a security guard floats a request of capturing him on his basic Nokia. Those around the star try to shoo the photo seeker away with the next time,certainly line,but Yuvraj obliges. Let him take a picture,two minutes wouldnt make a difference, he says.

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Just a couple of hours ago,he had said: I have changed for the better. Playing for India,adulation,money,success,all that is fine but the most important thing is to reach out to those that need you.

It all falls in place; extended pep talk to the academy kids,a few seconds to be the most treasured image in the folder of a fans mobile phone or,more importantly,through his new initiative,speaking to a cancer patient over the phone,saying: I know its tough,if not you,do it for your family.

Success and trauma can change people,as for Yuvraj,he has had back-to-back visits by both recently. He threw up almost everything he ate or drank all through the World Cup and even months before that. The never-going nausea and the never-receding body aches were not because of the Cup anxiety,as he believed,but cancer.

Along with the chemotherapy cycles came weakness,tastelessness,unending trickle tears,mood swings,the wheel chair and worse,blood clots to his stomach. For three months,I would inject a kind of blood-thinner into the stomach myself. You have to take the initiative to get better, he says with a face devoid of emotion.

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With food tasting like cardboard,meal times were depressing. Sleep was the only solace but undisturbed slumbers were rare. Losing four kgs and gaining 10 kgs later was another adjustment he had to make. Those tough days,Yuvraj says,has helped him appreciate lifes every little moment these days.

Joy of sprinting

Listening to his magical talk about every-day things helps one best understand his days of distress. I love every meal I have,I had a samosa just a while back and it tasted really great, he says. When it comes to explaining the joy of sprinting at full tilt,something that he has just recently added to his training routine,he is at loss for words. Even breathing is achievement. I can breathe with both my lungs now,thats joy. The capacity of my left lung had gone down seriously, he adds.

Yuvraj does aim to be a part of Indias T20 World Championship squad in September but he also wants to participate in the two T20 games against New Zealand earlier in the same month. He trains for five to six hours but needs to do more. Though his room is still always in a mess,Yuvraj insists the one-time bad boy has become disciplined when it comes to eating,sleeping and being selective about the company he keeps. And,of course,as he told Boon at his academy,he needs to be able to run 5 laps consistently without tiring.

Can the new Yuvraj Singh,mellow and mature,achieve things that Yuvi couldnt? I want to excel in Test cricket. But if it happens it happens. My motive in life has changed to not worry too much about my performances. I wouldnt set targets. If I make it to Indian team it will be a big achievement.