Yuvraj back in India after completion of cancer treatment

Yuvraj Singh, the India allrounder, is back in the country after two and a half months in the USA, where he had received treatment for cancer. Yuvraj arrived in Delhi on Monday morning, and was received by his mother and several fans.

Yuvraj was diagnosed with a type of cancer called "mediastinal seminoma", a germ-cell tumour located between his two lungs, in February. He underwent three sessions of chemotherapy in Indianapolis, at the IU Simon Cancer Centre at the Indiana University Medical Centre, under Lawrence H Einhorn, who headed the treatment of cycling champion Lance Armstrong in 1996. He finished the last cycle of chemo in mid-march, and his response it had left his medical team "fairly confident" that he would not suffer a relapse. He had spent a few days in London while recuperating from the side effects of the treatment.

He arrived on a Jet Airways flight, sporting a red sports cap - he has suffered hair loss, a common side effect of chemo - and flashing a victory sign to the waiting crowds. A friend who was with Yuvraj in London said the cancer is "completely out of his system", PTI reported. Yuvraj had tweeted about his homecoming on Sunday.

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Indian cricket star being treated for cancer in USA

Yuvraj Singh is undergoing chemotherapy to treat a cancerous increase that may have been bothering him even while he twisted his World Cup heroics last year.

The growth in his chest was initially consideration to be benign, but has recently been diagnose as wicked, and he traveled to the United States on Jan. 26 to seek treatment.

"It is a rare growth and is cancerous, but it has been detect in stage-one," Singh's physiotherapist, Jatin Chaudhary, was quoted as saying Monday by the Press Trust of India.

"Doctors had to decide whether to continue medicine or go for chemotherapy, but since parts of the cancer are just above the blood vessel of his heart, there was a danger that while running it could rupture. But it is 100 percent curable," he said.

Dr. Nitish Rohatgi, an oncologist in New Delhi's Max Hospital who has been co-coordinating with Singh's doctors in the United States, said the cricketer had been respond well to treatment.

"His growth is curable and he has been responding well to chemotherapy that is being administered since the end of January," Rohatgi told a news conference in New Delhi on Monday. "The chemotherapy will continue till the end of March and we are confident he will be cured."

Yuvraj Singh's mother Shabnam said in November that her son perhaps carried the illness through the World Cup in March and April last year, saying that the all-rounder suffered from constant "bouts of coughing and vomiting" during the competition and medical tests exposed a "golf-ball size lump over the left lung."
India's sports minister Ajay Maken has promised help to Singh.

"Wish Yuvraj a speedy recovery! Asking officials to find the quantum and nature of help necessary. Government should and will help him," Maken posted on Twitter.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has wished Singh "a speedy recovery" in an e-mailed statement, in which it also asked the media to admiration the privacy of Singh and his family members.

The 30-year-old Singh, man-of-the-tournament during last year's home World Cup-victory, last played for India during a home test series against the West Indies in November.

Singh has played 37 tests, 274 limited-over’s internationals and 23 Twenty20 internationals.

He played a large part in India winning the World Cup for the first time since 1983, playing in all nine matches at the 2011 edition and causal 362 runs at a standard of 90 and taking 15 wickets at 25 with his left-arm spin.

Singh is also famous for outstanding six sixes in an over off England pace man Stuart Broad during the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007.

Singh's absence on India's current tour of Australia has been noticeable. India was trounced 4-0 in the test series and won just one of two Twenty20 matches before lose its opening one-dayer against Australia by 64 runs Sunday.

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India dropped Yuvraj Singh for final test against Windies series

Yuvraj Singh's test career stammers again on Thursday when the left-hander, a usual match-winner in one-day cricket, was drop from the Indian team for the third and final test next to West Indies.

The 24-year-old right-hander Rohit Sharma will return Yuvraj in the Mumbai test starting on Nov. 22, Indian cricket board (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.

India clinches the three-test series by winning in Delhi and Kolkata. Yuvraj, who turns 30, next month, wasted the probability he got in the series with innings of 23, 18 and 25 next to West Indies.

One of the cleanest strikers of the ball and an lively fielder whose left-arm spin is more than handy in the 50 and 20-over formats, Yuvraj has struggle to strengthen his place in the test side in more than a decade of international cricket.

Active in India's 20 and 50-over World Cup victory in 2007 and 2011, Yuvraj has played 37 tests but never been a repeated choice in five-day cricket.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sympathized with the left-hander before the team for the third test was announced.

"Yes, he is going throughout a hard phase but it's important to show self-confidence in him," Dhoni said after India beat West Indies by an innings and 15 runs in the second test at Eden Gardens.

"We all know he is brilliant. He has played really well next to all the big bowlers, particularly in the ODI format which means he has talent to do well in test format as well.

"One more reason is that he has been in and out of the side. It's very hard to back yourself. You have that bit of nervousness. It's a bit hard on him. But optimistically he will recover and do well for India," Dhoni added.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron.

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Yuvraj looking forward to home series next to Windies

Yuvraj Singh enjoys being in the wide of action, so competitive juices are flowing in anticipation of the forthcoming home series next to the West Indies. The India all-rounder expressed his approval of the team's fielding ability. “Indian teams have been a great fielding side since 2003. Guys like (Suresh) Raina, Rohit (Sharma), and Virat (Kohli) are extremely talented fielders. I'm sure the old horse (referring to him) is also able of saving a few runs.”

Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma do not figure in the Test series next to the West Indies, but with Kohli and uncapped youngsters like Ajinkya Rahane, India will not be short of fielding options.

Yuvraj was discussion on the lines of an event by Puma, which named him as brand ambassador. “I had a long time off the field and am getting better now. For the last 10-15 days I have been pushing really hard.” He is back in the Test squad after a three-month break.

With VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli in the middle-order, Yuvraj will have to fight for his place in the squad. “I'm sure the more we play, the better we become. It is unlucky, every time I have done well, I got wounded. It is part of life and you have got to move on.”

Clear priorities

Yuvraj is clear about his priorities. “I want to be a good Test cricketer. I have done politely well, but am looking to improve my graph all the time.” He averages 35.60 after 1709 runs in 35 Test appearances for India, while scoring 62 in his last Test match for India next to England. He has taken 31 catches and nine wickets.

He sounded optimistic of teammate Harbhajan Singh making a comeback and liked leg-spinner Rahul Sharma's nature. The India all-rounder said, “If you are the best, no one can stop you. Harbhajan is a great bowler; he has got 400 wickets and played almost 100 Tests.”

Sharma played under Yuvraj's captaincy for Pune Warriors in IPL 2011. “Whenever I have given him the ball, he got wickets and was inexpensive. If you have the best talent you should play them, irrespective of how much domestic cricket they may have played,” he said.

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Yuvraj Singh opens cricket conservatory

Following the footsteps of his colleague Virender Sehwag, cricketer Yuvraj Singh, too, on Saturday set up a cricket academy called 'Yuvraj Singh Center of Excellence' at Pathways World School in Gurgaon and Noida. School and college students will be trained under Yuvraj Singh among other coaches.

Singh said, "I have been playing cricket since childhood. I joined various academies, but they were not excellent in terms of facilities and training." He said he would be in constant touch with the coaches at the academy through the Internet and help in chalking out plans to enhance the budding talent. Singh added, "I will also invite other cricket icons to my academy to guide the youngsters."

He said, "We are trying to help the budding cricketers. The academy will also help children from humble background. If we come across a talented boy from such a family, we will accommodate him and try to nurture his talent."

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and Haryana Cricket Association secretary Anirudh Chaudhry were also present.

In October, Sehwag had opened a world-class training institute — 'Sehwag Inter-national School' in Jhajjar.

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Injured Gambhir probable to return home

With his indistinct vision deteriorating to improve, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir could be stuffing his bags to return home.

In what might be a big blow to the movement of the world champions in the approaching one-day series next to England, Gambhir looks set to undergo the same fate as Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag who either came or joined the Indian squad only to leave upset having contributed little to the team's cause.

India were whitewashed 4-0 in the Test series; lost their number one Test rankings and are in danger of suffering a similar incapacitating fate in the one-day series, starting with the first game in Chester-le-Street on September 3.

Gambhir had backpedalled to catch a pull by Kevin Pietersen at mid-on on the second day of the final Test at the Oval on August 19, but trip and fell on his head, a fall which resulted in blurred vision.

He didn't open either innings of the Oval Test and came in down the order, causal little by way of runs.

Since then, he has visit doctors and had MRI scans which have given him a clean bill of health. However, Gambhir is still far from well.

Gambhir's case is similar to the one suffer by South African fast bowler Dale Steyn during the Champions League T20 last year when he too fell on his head as he backpedalled to try and catch Michael Hussey in a semi-final clash between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Steyn's MRI scans also show little, but the pace man took 3-4 weeks to regain full fitness. With Gambhir potentially out for a similar length of time, he is also now a doubt for when England pay a return visit to India in early October.

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'Visa issue require to be addressed'

RP Singh, who has been named as a substitute for Zaheer Khan, is yet to reach England due to a delay in obtain the visa and captain Dhoni is not amused.

Zaheer Khan is one of the three Indian players ruled out of the outstanding England tour due to a right hamstring and ankle wound. The other two are Harbhajan Singh (abdominal strain) and Yuvraj Singh (finger fracture).

India skipper MS Dhoni, though, recommended a quick-fix so that similar delays due to visa don't happen again in future.

"If we can organize visas for all 30 contracted cricketers for all the major nations (where India normally tour), this problem could have been avoid. That would mean anyone could fly in as a substitute or alternate at any given time," Dhoni told a leading daily.

The BCCI, in spite of having full a reserve list to the British High Commission, couldn't organize a visa for Singh, which adds to the agony of the Indian team that is having a horror time in England, down 0-2 in the four-match Test series.

Singh is predictable to arrive in England later on Thursday.

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'Pie-chucker' Yuvraj prepared to face England

India's Yuvraj Singh said on Wednesday he is keen to renovate his competition with Kevin Pietersen on the imminent tour of England after being called a "pie-chucker" by the England batsman a few years ago.

"I know that guy well and I am actually keen to throw some more pies at him and others around him," Yuvraj told.

"And if my pies can add and get Pietersen's and some other precious wickets, I would be really pleased."

"Test cricket is one area I would like to get better and do well. I want to be a enduring member of the Test side and I know that won't be easy," said Yuvraj, who has so far played 274 one-dayers but only 34 Tests.

"I will do whatever I can do to make stronger my Test records. The England tour will be one of the largest challenges in my career but in every challenge there is a chance and that's how I would like to see things from here."

Yuvraj said the four-Test series, starting at Lord's on July 21, would be highly spirited as the Ashes-winning England side would be hard to beat on home soil.

"England is a very good team and of late they have achieved some marvelous results as a Test side, so thrashing them at home would be a big task," he said.

"But we also have a very good and qualified side to struggle them. Our overseas record also has better a lot in the current times. I am sure this is going to be a very spirited series."

India named a full-strength squad, with batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, and pacemen Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth returning after missing the continuing Test series in the West Indies.

India, who won their last Test series in England in 2007 under Rahul Dravid, will also play five one-day internationals a one-off Twenty20 match throughout the tour.

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