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| Yuvraj Singh |
Calcutta: Yuvraj Singh is well on course to recovery from his illness and hopes to be back in action for the World Twenty20 Championships in September.
Speaking on the ICC’s new weekly show, which will be launched on Thursday, Yuvraj hinted that he might be available for selection for World T20 and believes that he can help his country recapture the title.
“I think (the) favourites are India because we’ve got the biggest hitters… Hopefully, I should be back by then and play in the championships. I’m not saying I’m the reason, it’s just that I feel we have the strongest side.
“If we can sort out our bowling in T20s, I’m sure we can be a strong unit. There are other strong teams like Australia and South Africa who always compete at the top level at world events,” Yuvraj, who is always considered as one of the best batsmen in the shortest format of the game, said.
Having already returned to light training, Yuvraj said that he is enjoying a healthier lifestyle.
“It’s been two months since I finished my chemotherapy… Initially my energy levels were low… But now I am following my diet and eating loads of food and I’m getting better every day.
“I’ve been doing very light training… I’m just getting back into the groove of being a normal person, breathe normally, which is a lot of excitement and fun for me at the moment.”
However, the all-rounder wants to be fully fit before making a return to competitive cricket, stating it would be a “big challenge” for him to make a comeback.
“I can’t really give a time-frame, but I have to see how my body is recovering and how fast I can come on the field. Actually I don’t want to rush… I don’t want to come back at 75 per cent fitness.
“I might take six months... So I don’t know. But the day I feel 100 per cent, I surely will be back,” Yuvraj said.
“Playing for India is going to be a huge challenge for me because the body has been under a lot of shock which nobody can understand. Only a cancer patient can understand what he is going through. So it’s going to be a big challenge for me to come back and play for India again,” Yuvraj added.
The 30-year old admitted it was difficult to come to terms with the fact he was having cancer.
“Initially, it was hard to accept that a guy like me who is training six to seven hours a day, running around all the time as an athlete, can get diagnosed with something like this,” said Yuvraj. “It took a long time to sink in, but eventually I made peace with it. I knew I have an issue and I have to sort it out.”
Yuvraj admits that the incredible support he received from fans during his treatment made a huge difference to his recovery and spirit.
“The support was overwhelming, especially from India. One of the students from a college in Indianapolis came to see me and I felt like I was in India.
“I just want to thank everybody for their support and for their care. I went through chemotherapy which is hard for everybody, but the wishes and the love is what made me come back,” said Yuvraj.
While undergoing cancer treatment in the US, Yuvraj had shared his thoughts through his Twitter account.
Explaining the reasons for this, Yuvraj said: “There was a lot of speculation on what cancer I had… So I just wanted to keep everybody in the loop by saying that this is what is happening and this is how my treatment is being done and I’m being positive.
“I just want to spread the message to other people who are diagnosed with such a disease that they can also fight it with the support of their family and their loved ones,” he said.