Yuvraj Singh says he is coming out of retirement in February 2022

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday (November 2) said he is coming out of retirement and will return to the field in February next year.

The left-handed batter, once regarded as one of the most flamboyant talents in white-ball cricket, had announced his international retirement in June 2019. Soon after, he also quit domestic cricket.

On Tuesday he took to Instagram to announce his return. “God decides your destiny !!On public demand il be back on the pitch hopefully in February ! Ain’t nothing like this feeling ! Thank you for your love and wishes mean a lot to me ! Keep supporting India,  it’s our team and a true fan will show his or her support in tough times,” he wrote.

Singh famously hit six sixes in an over in the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa – which India won. However, his greatest triumph as a professional sportsman came in 2011 ODI World Cup, where he won the Player of the Tournament award. Singh starred with both bat and ball right through that tournament and was a massive reason why India were able to win the trophy again.

However, in November 2011, about seven months after India’s triumph, it was reported that Singh was suffering from a tumour in his lung. Three months later, it was confirmed that the tumour was cancerous.

In early 2012, he underwent treatment in the United States and finished the three cycles of chemotherapy.

Singh returned to India after completing his treatment in April 2012. And by August that year, he had made it back to the Indian team for the World T20.

In an interview in 2013, Singh spoke about how the battle with cancer brought perspective in his life. “I am a more relaxed person now. When one is young, aspiring to play for the country, doing well, any hindrance, like injury or being out of form, can be frustrating and a cause of annoyance or even anger. But once you have a close encounter with death, you realise the real value of life,” he said.

“Simple things like breathing, enjoying food, the small pleasures of life that we take for granted, become precious. The bodily suffering, when I was choking while trying to breathe, when I couldn’t digest anything each time I had chemo, when I would be a mental and physical wreck, made me realise that living a normal life is a blessing and should not be frittered away by fretting over things which are beyond your control.”