The Test of My Life: from cricket to cancer and back

163 Pages·2013·2.79 MB·English

RANDOM HOUSE INDIA
Published by Random House India in 2013
Copyright © Yuvraj Singh 2013
Random House Publishers India Private Limited
Windsor IT Park, 7th Floor, Tower-B
A-1, Sector-125, Noida-201301, UP
Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2SA
United Kingdom This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced,
transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used
in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the
publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it
was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law.
Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct
infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those
responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
EPUB ISBN 9788184004014

To my mother, Shabnam Singh
This book is not about me; it’s the story of a brave mother.
A mother who has given me birth twice.
Someone said rightly, God can’t be everywhere so he
made mothers. I can tell you I saw that.
Contents
Timeline for the Sequence of Events
Acknowledgements
Prologue: It’s a Deal
CHAPTER 1 All the Way to India
CHAPTER 2 The Top-of-the-World Cup
CHAPTER 3 ‘C’ Change: from Cricket to Cancer
CHAPTER 4 The Test of My Life
CHAPTER 5 Taking Guard Again
CHAPTER 6 The Battle for Confidence
A Note on the Author
A Note on the Co-authors
A Note on YOUWECAN
Timeline for the Sequence of Events April 2011:
ICC Cricket World Cup Final, April 2. India wins
against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede stadium,
Mumbai.
May 2011: Yuvraj’s chest X-rayed in the last week of May. Yuvraj advised
further testing. FNAC test carried out. A tumour is found in the cavity between the
lungs. It is possible that the tumour might be malignant.
July–August 2011: Travels to England with the Indian team for a four-Test tour.
During the second Test at Nottingham, fractures his finger and is ruled out for
the series. Returns to India in the first week of August 2011.
August–September 2011: Alternative therapy for tumour undertaken in Jatin
Chaudhry’s care.
October 2011: Confusion over the exact nature of the tumour. Biopsy report
conducted in end-October suggests that this could be a rarest of rare germ cell
tumour called a seminoma. Unconfirmed.
November 2011: India play West Indies at home, Yuvraj plays two Tests and is
dropped from the third and final Test.
December 2011: Yuvraj trains at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bangalore
to be ready for the ODI series in Australia.
January 2012: Scans in Bangalore and an oncologist in Delhi confirm that Yuvraj
has mediastinal seminoma, a germ cell cancer. Yuvraj pulls out of ODI matches in
Australia. Meets Dr Peter Harper in London in the third week of January and is
advised immediate chemotherapy.
Travels to Indianapolis to begin his treatment under Dr Lawrence Einhorn at
the IU Simon Cancer Centre, in the University of Indiana. Therapy begins on
January 25.
March 2012: Chemotherapy ends on March 18.
April 2012: Arrives back in India on April 9.
May 2012: Begins training on May 20 at the NCA, Bangalore, in order to return
to the game July 2012: Yuvraj launches cancer charity YOUWECAN.
August 2012: Is named in the India T20 squad to play against New Zealand at
home and the World T20 tournament in Sri Lanka.
September 2012: Plays his first match for India after his recovery from cancer on
September 11 versus New Zealand in Chennai.
Acknowledgements
THIS BOOK IS very close to my heart. It traces that part of my life which was a
steep learning curve for me in many ways, and during which I learnt a lot about
my friends and support group. Without them I doubt I would have been able to
make it.
One man who is very special and close to my heart is my Dad, Yograj Singh.
Whatever I am today it is because of him. If I have a story to tell, it’s because
Dad could see that there was a story in me. Our relationship might be a little
strange, but not once have I doubted that my success is a result of your hard
work and your belief, Dad. I love you, and I assure you that I have tried to and
will try to live all your dreams in this life.
To my brother Zorawar Singh. Zoru, I know you don’t talk much. But I also
know how much you love me and care for me.
A big thanks to Sandeep Sharma (Sandy)—my best friend, philosopher, and
guide in life. He was there when I needed him the most.
Paroon Chadha, who met me in Indiana during my cancer treatment and has
become a friend forever. Sorry, Paroon, for all those pranks, and beware! Some
more are coming.
A special thanks to Rajeev Bakshi, who I call Chacha for his unconditional
love and support.
Thanks to my friends and well wishers—Aneesh Gautam, for making me
laugh all the time; Rajdip Kang and sisters, who brought warmth from the UK;
Rajeev Suri, who landed up in America out of the blue to show his support;
Ritesh Malik from Canada, for making those long nine-hour drives from Toronto
to Indianapolis with Indian groceries and love; Vivek Khushalani, for coming all
the way to show how much he cares; Sanjay Lal, for his support and guidance all
through this period; Manish Malhotra, for making things light on some really
gloomy days; and Charan Shetty, for losing those pool games and bets to me; at
that point those victories meant the world.
Rannvijay Singha, my friend who made it a point to spend time with me
during my fight in Indianapolis. Thanks for flying all the way from West Coast,
USA, to Indiana with movies and smiles. Bunty Sajdeh, for coming and for his
support. In Indianapolis, Kiran Aunty for the khichdi and Subway, Basil for
dosas, and Kumar Anne for being available all the time. You all played a part in
this story and I am grateful for that. Because of you this fight never felt like a
lonely battle. Big thanks to Dinesh Chopra for coming to London to give me
company with his silly jokes.
Thanks to Anil Kumble, who turned up all of a sudden to express his support
on behalf of the Indian cricket community. Anil bhai, your visit meant a lot to
me.
Thanks to my friends Binwant, Gulzar, and Amit Sharma who were always
praying for me.
I also owe sincere thanks to the millions of Indians everywhere in the world
who prayed for me and sent me wishes. I discovered how much I was loved. It
was humbling.
A big thank you to my sponsors at the time: Birla Sun Life, Puma, Ulysse
Nardin, Investors Clinic, Oakleys. If people talk of a perform-or-perish corporate
world, I won’t believe them.
Dr Lawrence Einhorn and his nurse Jackie Brames; oncology nurse Elizabeth;
Dr Nitesh Rohatgi, my oncologist. Today I am alive and breathing normally and
it’s because of all of you. I would also like to thank the staff of IU Simon Cancer
Research Centre in Indianapolis who helped me during my treatment. Thanks to
Dr Ashish Rohatgi for telling me the truth always. A big thank you to Sanjeev
Kapur for helping me in shaping YOUWECAN.
Special thanks to the BCCI and BCCI President N Srinivasan, Rajeev Shukla,
Hon. Secretary Sanjay Jagdale, Anurag Thakur, and all the BCCI officials. During
my toughest time, your support and care meant the world to me.
Thanks to all my teammates from the Indian cricket team, especially
Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and
Sachin Tendulkar. Your concern, messages, and support made me feel special
and inspired me to make a speedy comeback.
Thanks to the staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore who worked
tirelessly to get me back into shape, especially Ashish Kaushik, the Ghajini. You
believed in me more than I did.
I owe a big thanks to the co-authors of this book, my friend and manager
Nishant Jeet Arora, and one of the finest journalists and human beings I know,
Sharda Ugra. They both helped me give shape to my thoughts. Nishant, who has
seen my life and my fight against cancer very closely, was among my closest
allies in this battle. He believed this story had to be told and pushed me to do so.
Sharda, one of the finest sportswriters in India, is a warrior with a smile. She was