Come to think of it, the stylish left-handed batsman has
completed ten years in international cricket, but he did not have any reason to
celebrate, as he found himself left out of the Indian Test squad for next month's
series against Australia.
This is the second time in four months that Yuvraj has
missed making the squad. The first time it was when the team for the Asia Cup
in Sri Lanka was picked. But his humiliation was worse when after returning for
the Test series he was again dropped from the playing eleven. Suresh Raina,
another dashing left-hander, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands and
cracked a century at the first time of asking, took his place.
But more than Raina, it is Yuvraj himself who is
responsible for the lost of selectors' faith in him and his ultimate ouster.
Players are normally dropped for either, loss of form, injury or on
disciplinary grounds. Yuvraj may perhaps be the only player to be omitted on
all three counts cumulatively.
The batsman who attained the height of popularity by
hitting English bowler Stuart Broad for six sixers in an over in the T-20 World
Cup, had since been considered a hero. But with fame came a lifestyle that made
his after-hours wayward. Walking the ramp and IPL's late night parties
distracted his focus on the game so much so that he neglected his fitness. He
was even prompted to conceal his injuries.
Already suffering from a week knee - he is the only
player to wear braces on the field - he developed a wrist injury that prevented
him from fielding at his gavotte spot at point and he moved out to the deep
field. What is worse is that his batting from let him down and a series of
failures saw him lose his place in the Test team.
Yuvraj Singh's woes increased with his getting involved
in off-field incidents, like the fracas with fans at Tequila Joe's pub in St.
Lucia in the West Indies. When all that was condoned and he was selected again,
he just could not capture his old magic. No great knock came forth and, with
other youngsters doing well, he himself would have known that it would be tough
for him to hold his place in the team.
Now, it is not going to be any easy for him to regain his
place. There is even greater competition for the middle-order berth what with
Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli showing such exuberance not only with the bat but
also with their fielding. And there is one more name emerging from the ranks
and that is the prolific scorer Chhateshwar Pujara.
