New Delhi: What is your most prominent memory of Yuvraj Singh? Six sixes off Stuart Broad? Has to be the right at the top. Man of the series performance in India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup ? Or when he hit a life threatening disease like cancer for a six and roared back on the cricket field? While everybody’s response is more or less expected to fall on these lines, young wicket-keeper batsman Rishab Pant will probably have an entirely different story to tell if he has to answer the same question after Tuesday.
It surely won’t be Pant’s only tryst with one of India’s most talented left-handers but Tuesday night will go down as a night to remember for the Delhi stumper. When Pant’s shoe laces got untied while batting, Yuvraj Singh walked up, bent down on his knees and happily tied the laces of a cricketer who is 15-years younger than him.
In the past Yuvraj has embarrassed Sachin Tendulkar many a times by diving to his feet in the middle of a match but rarely has the cricketing world seen a senior pro voluntarily tying the show laces of a youngster. That’s what separates Yuvraj from the rest.
Yuvraj the batsman had already made his mark on the match by slamming a 70 off just 41 balls but Yuvraj the senior statesman had a lot more to do. He now plays the role of a guide and a pacifier.
Just a couple of days back he had proved his seniority by dousing the fire between Robin Uthappa and Siddharth Kaul and on Tuesday he lamented why cricket is referred as the gentleman’s game.
Pant went on to score a fluent 34 off 20 balls to help his side Delhi Daredevils chase down a stiff target of 186 with six wickets in the bank.
While Pant may have a lot to learn about the nuances of batting from Yuvraj, it certainly won’t harm him if also decides to take a leaf out of Yuvraj’s book of humbleness and maturity.