The 'Pie Chucker' walks away with the Pie

Kevin Peterson, while making his bold statement about the Indian southpaw, more than 2 years back, would never have imagined that he'll have to swallow his words with a bitter pill. Neither would have this thought crossed his mind that the man he was talking about would be walking away with the most coveted trophy a player can achieve in the game of cricket, The Player of the Tournament in a World Cup. Add to it the World Cup trophy and KP might just be right in finding a place to bury his head and save himself from the brickbats of a fanatic nation called India.

Its not for the first time that Yuvraj has answered the call of the hour in his 11 year old long career. The last time the Englishmen got the drubbing was when six of their fielders were searching for the white leather in all parts of the ground and Stuart Broad was happy that finally his name is going to be etched in the history of the game forever, along with the other unfortunate souls who were dispatched for six sixes in an over. Two days later, Yuvraj played a similar innings, with much aplomb against the THEN mighty AUSSIES. All it took was 30 deliveries and 70 runs in the semi finals of 2007 T20 world cup to pack them out of South Africa and end their dream of securing yet another silverware in their cabinet. They haven't succeeded as yet. Almost three and a half years later, a calmer and composed Yuvi was witnessed by the Men in Yellow but little did they know that even though the flurry of swashbuckling shots were missing , the intent however remained the same. A boundary to finish off the innings made it more than evident that Yuvraj has arrived finally. That a man whom many had accused of not having done enough justice to his talent has finally struck the right chord in mixing his Madness with a Method.

Over a decade long career, Yuvraj has seen it all. From being the poster boy of the Indian Cricket, to the heartthrob of many a girls, to the one who redefined the fielding standards in India. And for no small reason were the praises being showered upon him. He had performances to back it. A career that started with a well compiled knock of 84 against Australia, way back in 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy, a forgotten innings of 98* against Sri Lanka in Colombo, 65* versus Zimbabwe in 2001-02. But the knock which gave India the confidence that WE CAN WIN even when the big guns fail was the Natwest Series Final, where from a hopeless situation they brought the smiles back on a million Indian faces across the globe. Amongst many of his priceless innings were the knocks he played against Pakistan in 2003 World Cup, 139 against Australia in Sydney and the list can just go on. Between all this, there came a period, where Yuvraj was awarded Player of the Tournament in three successive bilateral series and mind you, the teams were South Africa, Pakistan and England.  He was growing in stature with every match and the out-of-form Sachin and Sourav just gave about that push that he needed to go that extra mile of being a permanent member in country's Test Team. A format of the game where he hasn't quite been able to make his cherished one.

This was where he gave his critics a reason to rejoice. And this we are talking about for the man who scored a fighting century against Pakistan in 2004, match winning half centuries against Sri Lanka and match saving one against our dear neighbors once again in 2007. But amongst these rare graceful efforts were quite a few failures and the return of form for Sachin, Sourav, Rahul and Laxman, which formed the most formidable middle order in the Indian Cricket history, did not help the cause either. And eventually he had to console himself that his place in the test team can never be secured as long as the Fab 4 are there.
Then came a forgettable year in 2009. Horrendous eighteen months for him not only made the world sit up and question his place in the team but also made him think about whether to continue with his career or not. Things had gone totally awry for him and it was a sad sight to see a talented player being cornered from the team. 'Weighty Issues' were being raised and what was called 'Yuvi's corner', the only after the great Jonty Rhodes to have made his own, was now being called 'Kohli' or 'Raina' corner. In India I believe, in the long run, the SHORT TERM memory prevails. The negative media, the big-mouth critics, cynics that we have all across the nation, who believe that burning effigies is a solution to everything kept adding the fuel to the fire.

But as they say, Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man. 2011 and the biggest stage in the game of cricket was there for many to make a statement. Some did and Some failed. One man who stood out from the rest, was the Lion from Punjab. He chose the biggest stage to erase the memories of the last eighteen months and walked away with the glory. The critics have got the lesson in a sweet way, the posters are not burnt anymore, the garlands can now be seen once again on the effigies. In all, it took 42 days for him to find a place in the history and be named with the players of highest ranks in the past. In years to come, people would remember him as the MAN who rose to the occasion and gave a billion people a reason to smile and not one but moments to cherish forever.

Yuvraj Singh, you surely have walked off with the PIE and deservingly so.