The doctors treating Yuvraj Singh for his cancer insisted the Indian batsman did not fall sick because of any indiscipline in his lifestyle.

By Rajarshi Gupta

The cancer diagnosed for the World Cup hero is believed to be the rarest of rare cases - 'Extragonadal Seminoma'. This form of cancer constitutes less than one per cent of all cancers, medical experts said.

Dr Nitesh Rohatgi, who is leading the team looking after Yuvraj, pointed out that the disease originated from the cricketer's heart but that was not due to any abuse in his lifestyle.

Yuvraj's lifestyle and late-night parties have often kept him in the news and he is a hit with the gossip pages of newspapers across the country. However, Dr Rohatgi stressed that the cancer, which stands a 95 per cent chance of being cured, was not fallout of any excesses in his lifestyle.

The doctor said Yuvraj has reacted very well to treatment: "He has shown tremendous courage and he should be back to active training in 10 weeks. I am sure Yuvraj the person would be back soon and Yuvraj the cricketer would return as well.

"He has been reading a lot (including Lance Armstrong's autobiography), playing video games, jogging and running."

Dr Rohatgi said Yuvraj has coped with the situation a lot better than others in his position, thanks to his fitness, a fact that was seconded by Dr Anupama Hooda, Head of Oncology at a New Delhi hospital.

"Yuvraj is obviously not as fit as he was a year ago but he is coping well because he is so strong mentally. He has started jogging and running, which means he would take less time to get back to full training," Dr Rohatgi said.

Yuvraj, on Wednesday, would have completed three weeks of his nine-week chemotherapy stint in the United States and his doctors are hopeful that the 30-year-old would return to action sooner rather than later.