Back from the Asia Cup, Yuvraj Singh appears relaxed at the ITC Grand Central hotel in Mumbai. Dressed casually in jeans and T-shirt, the left-handed batsman is not part of the India Test squad headed to Sri Lanka and says he is happy at the prospect of spending more time with his mother Shabnam.

If at all he is upset, it is because the team didn’t win the two finals — the Asia Cup (in Karachi) and Kitply Cup (in Mirpur, Bangladesh). “It’s hard to pinpoint the reasons for the losses. We were playing some good cricket and gelling well. I guess, we will soon start winning the finals,” he says.

Dismissive of reports that his evening out at a Karachi beach on July 4 led to his abysmal performance (on July 6) in the final, he says, “We [Yuvraj, along with Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma] had gone to someone’s house for dinner. The house just happened to be on the beach.”

Without let-up, he continues, “I don’t have to justify what I do off the playing field to anyone. Going to the beach is not a crime. Do people want us to be sitting in our rooms all the time?”

What Yuvraj doesn’t write off as easily is his performance on the field. “I didn’t get big runs. Even when I got the opportunity I would get out. My average was pretty good but I need to get a big score to regain my confidence.”

Big scores. And big hits. Since his debut in 2000, the son of ex-cricketer and Punjabi movie actor Yograj Singh has built a reputation for both, on and off the field.

First, there was this much-publicised four-year romance with actress Kim Sharma. Then came a brief dalliance with much-feted debutante Deepika Padukone. And finally, Yuvraj, as captain of Kings XI Punjab, was rumoured to have been the cause of friction between the team owners, actress Preity Zinta and industrialist-beau Ness Wadia.

The truth, as Yuvraj tells it, is that his life is a lot less crowded. For the first time in nine years, Yuvraj is happy to announce he is “single and I’m loving it”.

While most others would miss having that special someone in their lives, Yuvraj has rediscovered the joys of lower mobile bills. “My phone bills are down by 90 per cent,” he says with a laugh. “There is no stress. All I care about is my game now.” Quickly clarifying that being in a relationship never took the focus away from cricket, he says, “Like anyone in a relationship I did tend to think about my partner off the field. Now all my energy goes into the game.”

The 26-year-old is as matter-of-fact about his relationships as he is about his cricket. He bats away stories that his romances have had premature endings because of his constant travelling. “A couple that wants to go in different directions would never last.”

His most recent two-month relationship with Deepika Padukone clearly seems to have been a case of two people wanting different things. Yuvraj met the actress after the team’s victorious run at the T-20 World Cup. “I had just come back from South Africa and we met through common friends in Mumbai.” The couple went out on a few dates. “We liked each other and wanted to know more.”

As Yuvraj got busy with the series against the visiting Pakistanis and then the tour Down Under, Deepika was pre-occupied with her debut release Om Shanti Om. He says, “We didn’t spend enough time with each other to know if it was going to be a long-term thing. As things turned out she moved on and so did I.”

Deepika stepped out with Ranbir Kapoor at the Filmfare Awards on Feb 23 signalling the end of her tryst with Yuvraj. “Well, she was with me and now she’s moved on with another person. I guess it’s her personal choice. If someone wants to move out of a relationship, there isn’t much that the other person can do. I’m not blaming anyone but just stating the facts,” he says.

The brief relationship with Deepika, however, did add toYuvraj’s playboy image, a suggestion he finds both hurtful and untrue. “For some reason people always think of me as someone who is with a woman only to have fun. When I get into a relationship I really have to love the person. I don’t fool around. Before Deepika, I was seeing Kim [Sharma] for four years and it was a serious and committed relationship. And, before her, I was seeing someone for five years.”

Kim had been by Yuvraj’s side through his early years under the spotlight. The duo almost grew up together. “Kim and I just gelled together. We were very fond of each other. When I met her, I wasn’t very outgoing. I learnt a lot from her. She polished up my sense of dressing. She taught me that going out and meeting different people always helps. She also told me not to get affected with what people say,” he says.

Though the duo is not in touch with each other, Yuvraj has no regrets. “We have both moved on but it was one of the most beautiful relationships I have had.”

When Rahul Dravid relinquished his captaincy fans expected Yuvraj to be chosen to lead the Indian cricket team. “I knew that they were looking for a young player who got along with the team, so I did think I was in the reckoning. After all, as a young kid everyone dreams of being the Indian captain.”

Less than a week later, BCCI gave the top job to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “I was disappointed like anyone else would have been in my situation. But I took it in my stride because the team was more important than my personal ambition.”

As the vice-captain, Yuvraj has worked closely with Dhoni. “When he came to the team four years ago, he didn’t interact much with the boys. But, now he has opened up. Being the captain is a tough job and he remains composed under pressure. Over the years, I have got to know him more and our friendship has grown.”

Those in the know believe that Yuvraj lost out on the captaincy because of his image off the field. He begs to differ. “There were various other reasons that resulted in my missing out on the captaincy but I don’t want to get into them,” he says, adding, “As for my image, it doesn’t bother me anymore. It is very unfair for people to judge me on what I do off the field. I love to party and I have no problems in saying this. As long as it doesn’t affect my cricket, I am going to keep doing what I’m doing. I have been playing international cricket for eight years now and that’s not a joke.”

According to Yuvraj, his team mates have seldom commented on his love for partying. “No one in the team really bothers with what you are doing off the field simply because everyone is up to something,” he says with a laugh. “Some people are outgoing and some are not. People have to realise that I have a life outside of cricket and I want to live my life to the fullest… People would want me to go to sleep at 8 every night.”

The girl who will meet Yuvraj’s final approval however is one who “not only understands how important my public image is but she should also push me towards the best that I can be in cricket. She would have to be someone who is not working all the time because a lot of effort would need to be put for me. I need someone stable in my life.”

While Ms Right is yet to appear on the horizon, Yuvraj’s sight remains trained on the real love of his life: Cricket. Then, there is also the unfinished business of the captaincy.

“I would love to captain India one day. It has always been my dream,” he says.

What is your message to

Yuvraj? Tell t2@abpmail.com