After 408 days and 28 point balls later, Yuvraj Singh stands out in the Ranji Trophy

There was a rumor around Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday morning and it was not without reason – Yuvraj Singh was in town. Staying away from the international scene for more than a year is never enough to shake the popularity of our father, and the spotlight tends to fall on the cricket ground he occupies. Yuvraj, recently released by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) prior to the 2019 Indian Premier League, was back for the Punjab against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy match. The 37-year-old had already made room for the group's youth but was back for the Group B match between the two teams. He replaced Shubman Gill, who was scheduled to join India A on their tour of New Zealand.

The last time Yuvraj had participated in the first-ever national first-clbad competition in India, it was in October 2017, when the Punjab faced Vidarbha at Mohali. Yuvraj, who captured the camp, was able to collect only 20 and 42 scores in two sets. Since then, he has never appeared in whites. So, by the time he came out of the locker room at the first play session, the pleasure among the sparse crowd was obvious. Whenever the balloon was addressed to him, there was loud cheering. However, Yuvraj remained imperturbable and took her place in a relaxed, generally casual way. Later, when he was posted halfway through deep, he even missed a ball that eventually crossed the fence for a limit. But it did not matter, because the hundred people even cheered!

Around noon, it was rumored that Delhi had been regrouped for 107 and that there was a chance that 'Yuvi' would move away in the middle. There was a noticeable increase in the number of spectators in the stands, as several school children came to the scene to watch their star perform. At 98/3, when Jiwanjot Singh returned to the pavilion, everyone in the stadiums finally got their money after 408 days, the most elegant left-handed drummers of Indian cricket arrived at the fold.

However, Singh had to wait 28 deliveries to stand out. It is mainly because of the persistent line of leg segments that Vikas Mishra and Pulkit Narang of Delhi decided to stick to Gautam Gambhir. But Yuvraj was not in the mood to miss this opportunity. Despite the hissing and whistling, not once, he looked uncomfortable or disturbed by the surroundings. The ball was not crazy about the surface, it held and turned. But Yuvraj in 2018 showed maturity and awareness and went deep to play his part. He ate deliveries, but not once, he seemed not to care too slowly but surely, the ball continued to hit the middle of his willow.

At one point, he seemed to be on track to record Cheteshwar Pujara's 53-point record before setting himself apart. However, with a good sweep of the paddle for four of the 29 shots, Yuvraj finally moved his dash when the stadium broke under applause. From that moment on, he realized that it was easy to break two other borders, including one of his burgeoning cover records. At the end of the day, Yuvraj was unbeaten on 16 balls (43 balls). Feroz Shah Kotla is a privileged terrain for Yuvraj Singh. In 2016, he scored 260 wins in a match against Baroda, which led to his call in India. Will fortune favor it again? Only time has the answer …