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"I was 14 when I won that gold medal for
skating. With great pride I presented it to my father and with
even greater disdain he threw it out of sight along with my skates
and said, "these medals mean nothing. If you won't play
cricket I'll chop off your legs," reminisces Yuvraj, Punjab
and India Under-19 left-handed batsman.
Yes, his legs are still intact. The difference being
that now he is also the proud owner of a number of medals for
cricket. "I want to see Yuvi (Yuvraj) attain the heights
which I couldn't. And he's on his way,” says Yograj, who
represented India in a solitary Test in 1980-1981.
Parental
pressure has often been the reason for disastrous ends of many a
child's future. Certain parents force a child out of a sport to
concentrate on academics, saying "sports will get you
nowhere." On the other hand there are examples like Yograj
who try and fulfill their dreams through their children - their
children's wishes, notwithstanding. However, in this case,
Yograj's persistence did pay off. He has already Bishan Singh
Bedi's approval, "Yuvraj is one of the cleanest strikers of
the cricket ball. He is immensely talented and can clear the
boundaries by some distance. And to top that, Bedi goes on top
say, "There's no doubt that Yuvraj is ready for International
cricket." He couldn't have topped a compliment like that!!
Yet,
yuvraj has his wits around him. "I don't want to get to the
international stage only to fall by the wayside. I'll take things
as they come." He is pretty happy about the way have turned
out. He is even beginning to get famous! "I went to a shop in
Noida, the owner recognized me and announced my arrival. He also
presented me with a bouquet and didn't charge for the stuff I
bought." He should thank daddy dearest for all that!
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