Yuvraj fulfills father’s dream

His father had taken him to Patiala for an off-season camp with former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu. Since Yuvraj was not keen, Sidhu got miffed and remarked: “He can never play cricket.”

Yuvraj was upset and on the drive back to Chandigarh, told his father: “Dad, I am sorry for this. But nobody would say those words again.”

The world has never been the same again for them. With Yograj taking time off from his Punjabi film-acting assignments and helping coach Sukhwinder Bawa fine tune Yuvraj, the endless hours of pratice seem to be finally paying off. The son is on the verge of fulfilling his father’s dream.

“I am pleased with Yuvi’s form. But I expect more, a lot more,” Yograj feels of Yuvraj’s mature all-round show in the ongoing World Youth Cup in Sri Lanka.

Undoubtedly, Yuvraj would be the one the Lankans would fear the most in the final on Friday. The Australians were dumbstruck by the Yuvraj hurricane in the semi-finals when the left-hander waded into their bowling attack and shred it to pieces. Five sixes flowed from his bat as he showed why he is being billed as the future star while scoring his second half-century of the tourney. And he is a good left-arm spinner. His two four-wicket hauls in the meet so far bear testimony to the amazing promise he holds for the future.

His confident and refreshing approach has also made him popular. People are confused whether he is Yuvraj or Yuveraj, as some spell him. He is both. His superstitous coach Bawa feels he performs well when the scoresheet entry is Yuveraj Singh. He cites his knock of 358 in the Cooch Behar Trophy final as an example.

So, where does this leave Yuvraj in the context of Indian cricket. He scored his maiden Ranji century this season, taking 151 off the Haryana attack and was one of the key players in Punjab’s successful limited over run. Unfortunately for the youth team, the limited overs Wills Trophy and Deodhar Trophy clashed with the Youth Cup. But some of these youngsters, incluing Yuvraj, would find themselves vying for the national slots in the Challenger Trophy.