Team India lend Yuvraj Singh a hand to raise funds for his cancer foundation

Virat Kohli, in his first public appearance after Test retirement, salutes the cancer conqueror's spirit

Who's Who of cricket pose with Indian team in London on Tuesday
Who's Who of cricket pose with Indian team in London on Tuesday
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NH Sports Bureau

It was a who’s who of cricket assembling in London two days before the third Test at London on Tuesday evening – albeit for a cause. Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Foundation, a crusader against cancer, assembled the entire Indian team alongwith the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Kevin Pietersen for a high profile meet-and-greet event to raise funds for his future projects.   

 ‘’Our battle against the dreaded disease continues, especially for children below poverty line in India, breast cancer etc and it’s a relentless one. I thank the BCCI for lending a hand to the cause and we hope to raise one million pounds from this event,’’ Yuvraj, whose fight against cancer at the peak of his career in 2011 is one of the stirring stories in sporting comebacks, told Revsportz.  

Kohli, making his first public appearance since his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, struck a personal note about his relationship with Yuvi, with whom he won the the 2011 ODI World Cup. Incidentally, Shubman Gill - the new Test captain and Punjab boy - owes a lot of his success to Yuvraj's constant mentorship and guidance.

‘’We shared a very good bond both on and off the field. I met him (Yuvraj) for the first time during a North Zone tournament in Bangalore. When I started playing for India, he, Bhajju Pa and Zaheer Khan took me under their wings. They really helped me grow as a player and made me comfortable in the dressing room,'' Kohli recalled.

‘’A lot of fun times off the field, and they made me aware of the lifestyle of getting to the top. These are the bonds I will cherish for the rest of my life. Watching him in the World Cup was very special and what we got to know after that was a shock. Being so close to him... we had no idea. Then his battle with cancer and again the champion that he is... coming on top and making a comeback to the team when I was leading the team.’’

On a lighter note, Kohli used the reference of bearding his colour to imply that it was time for him to draw the curtains on his illustrious Test career. ‘’I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it’s time when you are colouring your beard every four days,’’ said Kohli when insisted by Gaurav Kapur to join Yuvraj, Ravi Shastri, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and Darren Gough on the stage.

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