International cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s world turned upside down when he was diagnosed with cancer. He played and won the 2011 World Cup, went through chemo, and came out stronger with a new perspective to help other cancer patients.
There are many cricketers who have an inspiring story of overcoming adversity and breaking records. The reasons for playing cricket are love for the sport, money, and fame. Then there are a few like Yuvraj Singh who play for life because they hide their deteriorating health due to a rare cancer.
Fitness of body and mind is extremely relevant for an international cricketer. Though athletes are never far from a physical injury, a disease like cancer can impact both physical and mental health. It is traumatic to go from being among the highest scorers to being hospitalised all of a sudden. The ones that rise above an impossible situation are fighters like Yuvraj Singh.
Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links attached to this post. I will not get any commission if you purchase the book from the link provided for the autobiography of Yuvraj Singh. The social account link is for the interest of the reader in Yuvraj Singh’s present life.
Rise of the hard-hitting cricketer Yuvraj Singh
Born into a Punjabi family, Yuvraj Singh was always the most sought-after batsman for the cricket board. Since his teenage years, playing Under-16 and later for Under-19 cricket team, he could easily intimidate any player with his skills. He surpassed the fitness test, which was much better than any other young cricketer. At the peak of his career, playing for the Indian team at an international level, his batting was hard-hitting with ease under pressure, leading the Indian team to many impossible victories. His middle-order batting partnership with MS Dhoni was a treat for the nation to watch.
His female fan following was also numerous, with magazines quite often talking about his affairs with Bollywood actresses. Friends and fellow cricketers referred to him as Yuvi as he established a solid position in the Indian cricket team.
The introduction of the T20 World Championship in 2007 proved to be the next level of success for Yuvraj Singh. It was during the 19th innings of the India-England match that Yuvraj Singh showered a volley of six sixes in one over on the ball of Stuart Broad. Yuvi had scored 50 runs from 12 balls. This made him the second batsman in international cricket history to have done so.
Yuvraj savoured every moment of fame and worked hard for it, not knowing what the future had in store for him. His game was strong, and yet there were many misses that made the cricket board doubt his talent for the upcoming ODI world cup. Somehow the intuition of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was to come true when he told Yuvraj, “You will matter when it matters the most.”
Fans couldn’t forget Yurvraj’s contribution to India’s historic World Cup victory in 2011, as he was named Man of the Tournament. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Yurvraj Singh played better cricket with an overall score of 362 runs, including one century and four fifties. He also took 15 wickets and won four Man of the Match awards.
The real battle of survival
Through the glorious world cup matches, Yuvraj had gone pale with insomnia and often eating disorders plaguing him. The symptoms of his illness started in March 2011 with some respiratory difficulties, followed by his withdrawal from the ODI series in May. The nausea and bouts of vomiting blood alarmed him. In the month of November, news broke that Yuvraj was fighting a rare form of cancer called Mediastinal Seminoma which affects the tissues in the chest between the lungs.
In his autobiographical book The Test of My Life: Cricket to Cancer and Back, Yuvraj recalls his response when the doctor revealed about his condition.
“I didn’t believe when I was first told that I have cancer. I thought, how could a young person like me get cancer? I thought it could never happen to me. It took me a while to realise that I ws diagnosed with cancer.”
― Yuvraj Singh, The Test of My Life
Yuvraj underwent chemotherapy at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In his autobiography, he reveals that his parents were a constant support system for him. He was also inspired by the many elderly patients who were receiving treatment in the hospital. It was a lonely battle for him, with not many people, even many cancer survivors who are celebrities, willing to talk openly about this disease.
“I cried like a baby when no one could see me and hear me. Not because I feared what cancer would do, but because I didn’t wanted the disease. I wanted my life to be normal, which it could no longer be.”
“There were times when chemo would eat my body, but I told myself that I have the strength and courage to win and come out stronger.”
Yuvraj Singh, just like his name, which means the king of youth, worked hard on his fitness under the supervision of renowned oncologist Dr. Lawrence Einhorn. After completing his third and final cycle of chemotherapy, Yuvraj was discharged, and he returned to India in April 2012.
The comeback of Yuvraj Singh
“In September 2013, Yuvraj made a comeback to India’s limited-overs squad for the Twenty20 and first three ODIs of the home series against Australia.”
Yuvraj Singh was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2012, which is India’s second-highest sporting award. His continued efforts and experience were still visible in his performance, and he was also conferred the Padma Shri award in 2014, which is India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
As he slowly regained his strength and confidence through playing many domestic cricket matches, he still missed being selected for the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Championship. The new captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli, was still hopeful for Yuvraj, but it was clearly evident that his passionate form was missing. He did get some good knockouts, but he lacked fielding ability.
Yuvraj Singh was a new man with new challenges to prove himself once again. On the personal front, he got married in 2016 to model and actress Hazel Keech. They became parents to a boy in 2022. He was selected to play in the IPL, or International Premier League, matches despite younger boys outshining his performance. In 2019, Yuvraj Singh retired from international cricket.
Being a fighter and a survivor is hard. Restarting your career after a battle with cancer impacts all areas of your life. For a young, strong person who suddenly finds himself without a career and dependent on medicines, it could have a devastating effect. But that didn’t stop Yuvraj from playing the most difficult game of his life.
“After winning their personal fight against cancer, Yuvraj Singh and his mother founded the YouWeCan Foundation in 2012 as a non-profit organization that works to empower all people to fight cancer through Cancer Screening Programmes, Cancer Awareness Programmes, YouWeCan Cancer Treatment Fund and YWC Scholarship for Cancer Survivors. Till date, 1,50,000 people have been screened by the Foundation for different types of cancer, 1,25,000 students have been sensitized in anti-tobacco workshops, 30,000 women have been sensitized on self breast examination and 24,000 men have been counselled for tobacco cessation. Moreover, 150 cancer survivor students have been supported through the YouWeCan Scholarship.”
“The test of my life is a story in my own words. It is about my toughest days and how I managed to come out of it. It is about hope, determination and courage to face challenges despite all odds. And believe me, we all have the strength to do it. So keep it up and keep your dreams alive and never give up. God Bless.” – Yuvraj Singh.
References
Yuvraj Singh Complete profile
https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/69/yuvraj-singh
You HAVE TO Win This Battle – Cricketer and Cancer Survivor Yuvraj Singh’s heartfelt message to Cancer patients on World Cancer Day, February 04, 2022, ANI Press Release.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuvraj_Singh
Yuvraj Singh inspiring quotes
strongfitnessmoves 
He is a fighter. Thanks for sharing.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for reading and liking this post. 🙂
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Wow, what an impressive journey. Fighting through cancer and winning is something not everyone can do.
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Cancer survivors are heroes who have done the impossible and taught everyone that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. 💪
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An inspiring story, thank you for sharing. I don’t follow sports, but have survived cancer. Stories like Yuvraj Singh’s and those of other long-time survivors give incredible hope to those newly diagnosed with this horrible disease.
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Thank you so much, Kathy, for reading and liking this post. Dealing with cancer is life-threatening as well as life-changing. It’s great to connect with bloggers like you who inspire people around the world. 🙂🙏
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