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Boria Majumdar

To say cricket is an art form will perhaps be partially incorrect. After all, art is devoid of the intense, nerve wracking rivalries that make cricket what it is, the sport that seduces teeming millions across the globe. Yet, some of its best practitioners are artists par excellence. Their immediate canvas is the twenty-two yard strip and the range of their colours illuminate the minds and hearts of the thousands who visit the ground to see them at work.

One such artist is Yuvraj Singh. He is surely one at the height of his powers. From the time he lazily strolls on to the pitch to his taking guard, each movement is distinctive and full of confidence. It is a sight that gives millions of Indian cricket fans hope. As long as Yuvraj is out there, Indian hearts can continue to beat. From an utterly lazy walk to the wicket to generating amazing bat speed within seconds, the transformation is often dramatic. He looks majestic when he plays the pull and would have made CLR James proud with his cover drive. Yuvraj Singh is one for the cricket connoisseur. He is brutal yet passionate, carefree yet destructive and tender yet violent. He is to be appreciated in all shades, from the exuberant colors of the Caribbean to the subtlety of the British masters; Yuvraj is a true global ambassador for the sport giving joy to millions across the world.

That he is a man of extraordinary ability was embodied in one stroke he played in the recently concluded world T20. In what was a nightmarish campaign, it was Yuvraj who stood out. In the match against England, he walked in to bat with India struggling to keep pace with the English run rate. Dimitri Mascarenhas had just snapped up Gautam Gambhir and the cheers had still not fully subsided. Soon after marking his guard, Yuvraj, with the minimum of effort, hoisted the first ball he faced from Mascarenhas to the lower tier of the Edrich Stand at Lords. Within seconds the cheers had changed tunes. The Indians had a new lease of life and the Brits, delirious at the fall of Gambhir's wicket, had suddenly realized what they were up against.

Even in India's first super eight match against the West Indies, it was a Yuvraj solo that kept India in the hunt. Finding the going tough, he tore into Jerome Taylor's second spell and flicked what was a near perfect yorker for six over mid-wicket. It was a shot that had the signature marker of a designer label written all over it. Yuvraj, the artist, had manufactured it with much care and elegance. And in so doing, had given the commentators and fans much to talk about. Without exaggeration, it was sheer genius that was at work.

While we continue to celebrate Yuvraj Singh, his match winning 131 of just a 100 plus balls in Jamaica has already given us a 1-0 lead in the ongoing one day series against the West Indies, we should also be cautious. India's biggest strength in the 1990s was the genius of Sachin Tendulkar. In a sense it was also our biggest drawback. We had, unknowingly perhaps, started banking too much on Sachin's individual genius. With the kind of form Yuvraj is in, it is well possible that the familiar tale of the 1990s returns to haunt Indian cricket again. The tale can be simple - when Yuvraj fires, India looks unstoppable and in days when he fails, we start to wobble. It is on Dhoni and his men to prevent such a catastrophe for only then can we fully enjoy the magic of Yuvraj Singh.