Cricketers often talk of staying in the present but it’s just a superficial statement. It is a part of the mundane, repetitive and clichéd language these professionals have been taught to use. The reality is of course very different.
Matches, innings, shots, even the most minute of moments, have a back story and a future consequence which is as important. There is a reason an innings or a spell is important, and that reason is not always in the context of the ongoing game. The past matters, as does the future.
It was his first one in an IPL playoff in seven years for starters. Since his return from cancer in 2013, he’s played for four different teams in four seasons. Pune Warriors were terminated, Bangalore had other options and Delhi were too impatient. This time, after what seems like an age, he has borne some semblance of consistency during the Indian summer.
Thus, in what was the most important match for the Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, Yuvraj needed to score. Not just for them to win. But also to clear the dust about his ability to withstand pressure and score when it matters, a trait that had gone missing ever since the 2011 World Cup. And to ensure that he won’t be released, come February.
He had been given two chances in the Indian T20 side over the past couple of years, in the 2014 and 2016 World Cups. Far from being the impact player he once was, Yuvraj struggled badly. Against spin, against pace. His infamous 21-ball 11 in the 2014 final led to his house being stoned. He didn’t fare too much better in the 2016 edition either, his tournament cut short due to a twisted ankle. He was no longer the crowd puller. It was now the Kohlis, the Dhonis and the Rohits who the fans came to watch.
Wherever he had played, Yuvraj was used to being one of the main men, and more often than not, the chief match-winner. The gradual weakening of his force has meant that recently he has been getting used to living, and playing, in the background.
For two-and-a-half years after the 2014 World T20, Yuvraj did all he could to adjust to his new role. But he seemed out of place. He was more, a pure match-winner who still had in him and did not want to be remembered as the fading supporting actor, but as the lead.
.@SunRisers' @YUVSTRONG12 loves seeing the ball cross the fence! #SRHvKKR https://t.co/sRGfPm1qmX pic.twitter.com/ODJyKls0RW
— hotstar (@hotstartweets) May 25, 2016
Wednesday’s match offered Yuvraj an opportunity to come out of the shadows and into the Sunrisers’ spotlight. And he took it.
He was not the designated match winner – that responsibility was supposed to lie with David Warner, Mustafizur Rahman, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But, batting first, Sunrisers lost Warner, Dhawan and Moises Henriques in the first 10 overs, with just 71 on the board.
Enter Yuvraj.
With Deepak Hooda by his side, he slowly turned back the clock. This time the pressure didn’t get him, it didn’t bog him down. On the contrary, he thrived. The charismatic smile, and the lovely, flourishing bat swing were in full view. The neutral Delhi crowd was screaming for him. It felt like 2011, not 2016.
Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who had got his measure the last time these two sides met three days ago, was deposited over long on, long off and then over his head. So was Sunil Narine. These were shots straight from the glory days. Even the singles seemed golden, with grace and class written all over them.
Yuvraj got out in an uncharacteristic fashion
In spite of wickets falling at the other end, Yuvraj carried on. Rekindling the memories.
His eventual dismissal was uncharacteristic, bowled while attempting a scoop – a shot which he never plays.
It was an elegant, beautiful, 44 off 30 balls. Maybe it was not destined to last longer. Maybe, this is all the Yuvraj of now can conjure. Not those whirlwind hundreds, and 30-ball 70s. But whatever is was, it needs to be celebrated. For, it’s not going to come everyday.
His innings helped the Sunrisers to a sizeable total, which they went on to defend with ease. It won them a place in the IPL Qualifier against the Gujarat Lions on Thursday.
But this innings was not about the result. It was all about Yuvraj. It was his response to those who have said he can’t play under pressure. It was his day, a day where nobody else mattered. A day where the Prince of Indian cricket stood tall.
The India call up will probably never come again. The one final shot at international glory is like an impossible dream.
These few innings, over the two months of summer are all that is left for us to see Yuvraj’s magic. For his sake, and for ours, lets just hope Wednesday’s incredible knock wasn’t the last.
