Yuvraj Singh
From shaking up the very foundations of the Indian government to stirring up unseemly controversies, from showing incredible courage in the face of extreme adversities to losing a reputation built over years of hard work in just a blink of an eye, from setting the electoral hustings afire with golden speeches to getting into trouble for not speaking at all, there were many 'newsmakers' in 2012 who caught the common man's imagination. Some made it for stellar reasons, others for all there is wrong with the society. Here are 12 'newsmakers' that deserve a mention.
This is a man who has seen it all. From belting six sixes in an over in an international cricket match to being dropped from the team and then winning the World Cup for India after a long wait of 28 years to being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Yuvraj Singh has fought odds throughout his chequered career.
But there can no doubt that he is tough. Whenever the chips were down for Team India, he has always stood up and delivered. But when he was diagnosed with cancer, many expected him to crumble as he was out of the game for nine months. But he didn't.
Yuvraj who was undergoing chemotherapy in the US was fighting a battle on all fronts: physical, emotional and mental.
But the swashbuckling left-hander fought well to comeback from a career-ending disease to win a man of the match award at a T20 World Cup game, then smash a double hundred in his return to first-class cricket, and then take five wickets to add to a half-century against England in a warm-up game. He also scored a fine 74 in his only innings in the first Test against England in Ahmedabad.
For Yuvraj, life after cancer has not been easy as it takes a lot of discipline to make a comeback like he has done: he has had to let go of many things that he loved. For one, he is not a foodie anymore as he only eats organic food now and bingeing is a strict no for him.
Yuvraj feels that the disease has given him a new focus in life and his battle against cancer made him more disciplined and more organised: he has learnt to be loyal to his body.
His one-time mentor Sourav Ganguly was sceptical about his hurried return to the squad before the T20 World Cup, but quickly changed his mind to say: "It is incredible to say the least. In spite of lack of match practice there were glimpses of vintage Yuvraj in the match. He looks fit and his performance will only improve with time. It was a very satisfying knock."
So here's wishing all the best to Yuvi, the warrior.
