Yuvi - ‘To baat to wahin aa gayee na’ to the original tagline — jab tak balla chal raha hai, tab tak thaath hain…jab balla nahin chalega to…,”

Hey Yuvi, come back soon.

We want you back with all that swagger and cockiness. The team is missing the attitude.

Yes, it won’t be easy to walk into the team now. There are too many competitors jostling to prove their worth. But it should not be difficult either given your talent. You have proved yourself earlier, it should not be too much of a challenge.

Cancer is no big deal. Ask Dave Callaghan, the South African who beat testicular cancer to be back in competitive cricket. He knows the ailment does not hurt much if detected early, the personal anxiety around it does. Self-doubts creep in as do negative thinking. Forget the cancer, focus on the next match you want to play, he says. Great idea. Do just that.

Ten weeks is nothing. Footballer David Beckham was out for five months nursing a nasty Achilles heel injury. He came back, though not as the same player. But he was back doing what he loved doing most — playing football. Your ailment does not threaten to end your cricketing career. Beckham’s injury hurt him where it hurts a footballer most — his feet, yours does not.

When in a bout of depression, think of Lance Armstrong. Laid low by testicular cancer which had spread to his brains, the cycling legend fought back valiantly to stage the greatest comeback in the history of sport. After recovery he won the Tour de France title seven times. That’s some feat! Yuvi, you have no serious problem and we know you are a fighter. You will be back in no time. Just stay focused.

Think of Mario Lemieux, believed to be the most talented ice hockey player on the planet, too. At the peak of his career Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, the cancer of the lymph nodes. He returned to the game after radiation treatment and in1995, scored his 500th goal, the second-fastest player to achieve the feat.

What makes these players achieve such incredible characters? The strength within. And the ability to look beyond the negative immediate to the positive next. Yuvraj you are a strong character. Keep thinking of your comeback. And of the six sixes off Stuart Broad in that magical T20 match. And the performance that gave India the World Cup. And of the success against Australia. Believe it, you will get enough kick out of that to plan your next move.

We, the fans, want it quick but you take a bit longer if you want. We want you as you were, not a bit diminished. We want that swagger, that hint of arrogance and that devil-may-care approach. You are allowed to be the lady-killer you are supposed to be. We are hungry for some juicy gossip about you too. Indian cricket is missing its charm without you.

Ten weeks will pass in a jiffy. So pad up for the new innings.

And cheer up. Life is beautiful.......