- Yuvraj Singh:
Without a second thought, the biggest loss to Indian cricket was the cancer illness to Yuvraj Singh. He was vomiting blood before and during the 2011 World Cup was underway, yet he stood with the team and gave his all, just to have that World Cup next to him.
Such was his passion, dedication, and love for the game. Post winning the Man of the Series in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj was out of action for over 18 months, as cancer took an enormous toll on his career and life. When he returned, he wasn’t the same enthralling match-winner for the side, though, he did quite well. But those 18 months which he lost, were the beginning of his prime and he lost on arguably the finest bulk of his career.
Who knows, had he remained in good health, he would have surely amassed over 11,000 ODI runs and got to 200 ODI wickets, as he was just starting to emerge as a genuine all-rounder for India. The fact remains, cancer took out his best years from him, but that doesn’t stop us from counting him among the all-time greats of the game.