Cancer taught me life: Yuvraj Singh

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They say sport doesn’t build character but reveal it. India batsman Yuvraj Singh’s battle with cancer holds true to the saying.

From being adjudged the man of the series at the 2011 World Cup to the two-month long chemotherapy he received in the US recently, Yuvraj has shown that he is a fighter in every sense of the word.

Back in the country and on the road to recovery, Yuvraj held his first media interaction in Gurgaon on Wednesday.

Thanking God, his family and well-wishers for the new lease of life he had been given, Yuvraj said the last few months were the toughest phase of his life but were also the most crucial ones.

“Who knows, may be cancer is the best thing to have happened to me. I don’t know what is in store for me, but may be a few years from now I will realise what it taught me,” said Yuvraj, who said he was eyeing a comeback to the national side “as soon as possible”.

The 30-year-old said that even though he experienced alarming signs of illness early during the World Cup, he put up a cheerful face just to ensure everyone’s focus remained on lifting the trophy.

“I never showed anyone what I was going through. I couldn’t breath from one side. I would vomit and cough a lot and sometimes there would even be blood but I decided to overlook it.

“Inside, I knew there was something wrong,” he said. Once it was confirmed in February that he has cancer, Yuvraj wasted no time in moving to the US for treatment. During this time, he read voraciously and it was cycling legend Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life that touched him the most.

Armstrong, like Yuvraj, was diagnosed with late stage cancer. The American not only recovered but returned to his sport only to scale greater heights.

Yuvraj said, adding that he has been penning down his experiences and would one day write a book of his own to inspire others.

He credited his mother the most for his relatively quick recovery. “I think my mother is stronger than me and she really kept me going. There were times when I would weep like a child, but she never shed a tear. She stayed strong and made me stronger,” he said.

What also gave him strength were visits by Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble. “Kumble wanted to surprise me but I got to know that he would come see me. I was delighted to see Sachin. I have developed a cherished friendship with him.

I wanted to be a part of the team when he scored 200 in one-day cricket. I wanted to be a part of the team when he scored his 100th hundred. But unfortunately it didn’t happen both times.”

However, irrespective of how eager he was to make a comeback, Yuvraj said that he kept himself away from watching cricket all this while.

“I would stay away from cricket because whenever I saw a match, I would feel frustrated. Just staying in the house, to get up and do anything was a tough job in itself. I just played video games and watched movies to pass my time. I even learnt how to cook mattar pulao!” he revealed.

“I learnt how to stay positive. Now that I have recovered, there is no stress in my body. I am truly happy. I have learnt how to stay happy and once I resume playing I will not be under any stress. I will just play the way I want and enjoy my game,” he said.