One of the first gestures that Yuvraj Singh did on coming out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday which may have gone somewhat unnoticed was a small pumping of fist towards his fans. The message was clear: "I am the winner." Clad in a red baseball cap and T-shirt, the hair gone as a side effect of the gruelling chemotherapy but with the same swagger in his body language, this was a new Yuvraj. Not the temperamental superstar who has won India the ICC World Cup barely an year back, for this time, he has taken on a far bigger challenge than just winning the battle of 22 yards.

The lid on emotions have, quite understandably, come off over the past few days since ‘Yuvi' returned home after a three-month-long ordeal during which he underwent three cycles of chemotherapy for a rare germ cell tumour located between his lungs. "Welcome home my brother Yuvraj," Sachin Tendulkar, the man they call the god of cricket, tweeted as the cricketing fraternity, entertainment industry and the Indian cricket fan rose in one to salute his fighting spirit.

While there is also talk of trying to put a date to his comeback, the man himself announced his priorities in a press conference that of getting back to good health and pledging to be a part of the fight against the disease. In an international career spanning over 12 years, Yuvi had already made quite a few comebacks but this one would surely beat them all as and when he takes guard in any form of competitive cricket. As of now, he would first have to go back for a review after two months before taking any call.

Media coverage

For a change, even the ever-demanding Indian media could not be accused for being really overzealous to ‘break' the latest on how the cricketer's treatment was going on or who all have visited him during these extremely demanding last few months. The reason: the man who was suffering himself took to his twitter account for letting those who care know how he was responding to the treatment.

It was an innocuous entry by him in early February which jolted all it was like one's worst fears coming true. Barely a month before that, his family announced that Yuvraj was being treated for a non-malignant tumour between his lungs and that he was on road to recovery. The tweet from him simply said: "Reading Lance Armstong's book: It's not about the bike! I am sure it will motivate me and pull me through this time. Live strong, Yuvstrong!"

The connotations were obvious, for Armstrong the seven-time Tour de France winning cyclist remains the most inspiring example of a cancer survivor sportsperson. The shockwaves continued with doctors who treated him in India initially going channel-hopping to talk about the prognosis of the case while Yuvi used the micro blogging tool without any inhibitions to talk about his progress.

If one entry talked about the first cycle of chemotherapy ending, the next one could well have been on wishing Sachin paaji luck for getting his 100th century. It must have taken some guts for a public figure like him to post his first bald picture on twitter while it was only through him one knew that Anil Kumble had visited him in the hospital in the US or Tendulkar caught up with him during his stopover in London.

"On reaching the US for treatment, he told me only once over phone: Dad, I did not deserve this. After that, I have never found him depressed. His recovery has only strengthened my belief in the Almighty," his father Yograj Singh said in an interview with Gulf News.

Yuvi's comeback

What is, however, heartening is that the medical community feels it's just a matter of months before the cricketer can be back in action and oncologists who have been following his case with interest in Dubai are no exception. "Most likely, he will be back to the cricket field in three months' time. Some minor side effects may take longer time to disappear but generally, full recovery is expected," Dr Fadi Mikhael, specialist oncologist with Welcare Hospital, said.

In medical parlance, how has Yuvi has responded to the treatment? "We understand from media reports that after the second cycle of chemotherapy, he [Yuvraj] was almost in complete remission," Dr Mikhael told Gulf News. Asked what was the prognosis for this type of cancer, which is called ‘extra gonadal mediastinal seminoma,' he observed: "Usually, the prognosis is good, and complete remission is possible even if there was residual disease in the mediastinum." Yuvi, on his part, has taken the giant first step towards a brave new world. We, on our part, will have to be patient till he comes out and goes for a trademark lofted drive over the midwicket for six!