Yuvraj waged a heroic battle against the flames that threatened to consume him, and soared as in dreams. On those occasions when he fell, he picked himself up to take wing again.
The book ‘Yuvi’ by senior cricket writer Makarand Waingankar provides an engaging account of Yuvraj’s incredible journey. Cricket is Yuvraj’s canvas and the willow his brush. Waingankar manages to capture the essence, the colourfulness of Yuvraj’s batsmanship.
The gifted one also answered searching questions posed by things other than the game. All the drama in Yuvraj’s life — including his stirring comeback from cancer — has been viewed insightfully in the book whose motif is hope.
A friend of the family, the author lends an insider’s perspective to the cricketer’s rise from the periphery to the centre-stage. Having been involved at the grass root level – he was a part of the BCCI Talent Resource Development Wing (TRDW) –Waingarkar was able to witness the stunning transformation of the southpaw from a simple but naughty boy to a star and a brand.
Someone who has witnessed cricket through the eras of change and turmoil — he began his eventful career as a cricket journalist in 1969 — Waingarkar invariably has his finger on the pulse of the game.
The combative spirit in Yuvraj shines through as we turn the pages. The young man peered through a seemingly endless tunnel of darkness when diagnosed with the cancer of the lung but came through the ordeal.
His strength of mind surfaced when Yuvraj, in a central role, fought through the barrier of pain through India’s victorious campaign in the World Cup, 2011.
Says Waingarkar, “A fighter is made out of circumstances. Yuvraj Singh is one such fighter.”
A champion is not made without sweat and tears and Waingarkar has dedicated a chapter each to Yuvraj’s parents Yograj and Shabnam for their sacrifices.
Yograj, a fast bowler of immense possibilities