Gurgaon: After surviving a rare form of cancer, India's World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh has answered the question surrounding his return to the field of play, saying while he wants to come back soon, his focus as of now is entirely on his health.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday during his first and only press conference following treatment in the US, Yuvraj had an air of positivity about him and answered questions right from the time he was diagnosed with a malignant tumour to when he is expected to play again for India. However, he made it clear that a comeback won't be easy and his fans need to be patient, like they have been during the last three months.
"The fans are emotional, [but] they understand it will take time for me to return. Right now I have to look after my health. I must focus," Yuvraj said, sitting alongside his doctor Dr. Nitesh Rohatgi, at the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence in Pathways School here.
The Indian batsman, who was in the US for a rare form of cancer treatment, arrived in Delhi on Monday. After his chemotherapy session in Indianapolis, the left-handed batsman had travelled to London where he recuperated from the after-effects of his therapy.
Yuvraj said his mother, Shabnam Singh, was his biggest support system during the last few months. "My biggest support, my mother, was there [with me]. I don't think without her I would have made this journey. [Cycling legend] Lance Armstrong was very inspiring. Five-six years back I was reading his book and left it midway for some reason. I had to complete it this way may be. He had [a] similar cancer, but his was in the last stage and mine was detected at [an] early stage," he said.
"I can't compare much [between him and me]. For me, Lance is a real-life hero. He is a great sportsman and his achievements in life are great. To me, just to recuperate and get back would be a big achievement," Yuvraj said. He also rejected suggestions that he erred in going for alternate therapy while he was being diagnosed. "Diagnose for cancer was very hard. It takes time. Once I knew what I needed to do, I went straight to doing that," he clarified.
Another person who inspired Yuvraj was senior team-mate Sachin Tendulkar, who even met him in London. "I was in touch with Sachin while he was in Australia. I also wanted [him to score] his 100th hundred. He has always inspired me. It was great to see him in London. I didn't want this to come out but media would have known. I was delighted to see him," he said. "I wanted to be a part of the team when Sachin got his 200 in ODIs, [and when he got] his 100th hundred. It's a very big achievement. It's just amazing that he has played for so many years. Unfortunately, I wasn't there when he got the 100th hundred."
Yuvraj said it was hard for him to come to terms with the illness when it was first diagnosed in October last year. "It was tough for me. It took six months to diagnose whether I had cancer. I think it was tough because I had [a] lot of trouble [in] breathing; I used to cough a lot [and] there used to be blood in my cough," he recalled.
"I didn't tell anyone, I never showed it to anyone what I was going through. I was always cheerful and kept telling myself that I will be fine but I knew there was a serious issue. I just had to come out of it somehow," he said when asked whether he shared the details of his ailment with his team-mates at first.
While being peppered with some serious questions surrounding his illness, Yuvraj had his sense of humour intact. When asked about his immediate aim, the Indian batsmen retorted, "What’s my aim? Well, I'd like to get this PC [press conference] finished and go home to have my mom's gobhi ke parathe."
The cricketer said despite the ordeal he has been through, he remains an optimistic person. "Mentally, I think I have to be positive. There is a lot of happiness inside me. At the moment, I am really happy. So I am very positive. I am just thinking about things and just happy to be back," he said.
Yuvraj had a lot of support while he was fighting it out in the US and had a word of encouragement for all those suffering from the unfortunate malignant illness. "I hope I can inspire people to be strong and move on in life. It's not easy [to recover from cancer] but if I can do, others can fight it out [too]. In future I will definitely do something for the people [suffering from the disease]," he said.
Recalling the time he spent recuperating from the ailment, Yuvraj said he would avoid watching cricket as it left him frustrated. "I would stay away from cricket because whenever I saw a match, I used to get frustrated. Just staying in the house, to get up and do anything was a tough job. I used to try and walk. I played video games, watched movies. My mother would cook for me. I was not able to do much. It was tough to get out of the house and move around," he said.
Yuvraj was diagnosed with a rare form of germ cell cancer and underwent three sessions of chemotherapy at the Indiana University's IU Simon Cancer Centre. During his stay in the hospital, Yuvraj received a lot of support from his fans and well-wishers. Yuvraj missed the entire Australian tour and also the ongoing IPL 5 due to his ailment.
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