At some point in the early 1990s, before Yograj Singh, his father, threw away his roller-skates, Yuvraj Singh used to combine cricket training with his love for speed. A journalist I know used to play with him when they were both juniors, and he once told me a story of a net session when they were both just into their teens. Another boy was padded up and marking guard while Yuvraj waited outside the net for his turn. That was when Yograj arrived.
One look told him that his boy was not facing the bowling and he went straight to the coach. The next instant, the group of boys watched astonished as Yograj grabbed the coach by the throat and lifted him up against the nets. "My son always bats first," he said before letting go. Three years ago, when Yuvraj made a scintillating century after Yasir Arafat had reduced India to 69 for five in Bangalore, he came to the press conference at the end of the day's play and quipped that his father would be unhappy because he had missed out on a double-hundred.
It was an off-the-cuff remark, but anyone who had followed the father's single-minded obsession with making his son a star would have winced at hearing it. Any analysis of Yuvraj Singh's career is impossible without taking into account the pressures he grew up with, the expectation that came with being the son of someone who believed the he himself deserved far more than the one Test cap that came his way.
It did not really help that his advent was so spectacular, with a stroke-filled innings that saw off the challenge of Steve Waugh's side at the ICC Knockout in 2000. Less than two years later, he played a pivotal part in India's NatWest Trophy triumph in England. Back then, with Sourav Ganguly waving his shirt deliriously on the Lord's balcony and Yuvraj and Mohammad Kaif the architects of the win, Indian cricket appeared ripe for generational change.
It did not turn out that way. Apart from a period of exile under Greg Chappell, the India coach, Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were inseparable in India's middle order. Yuvraj and Kaif had their moments in the one-day arena, but Test caps proved frustratingly elusive. Yuvraj turns 29 soon, and has only 34 to his name. More importantly, he has never managed to make a spot in the Test team his own.
His three centuries have all come against Pakistan, two of them in lost causes, and an average of 35.63 falls far short of expectations. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, the current captain, he has averaged 44.16 from 10 Tests, but despite a half-century in his last appearance in Galle, Sri Lanka, he has fallen behind Suresh Raina and Cheteshwar Pujara in the pecking order. A poor Indian Premier League season (255 runs and a highest score of 43) with a franchise where he no longer felt valued exacerbated talk of poor attitude, and a downturn in fortunes in India blue has not helped.
After averaging just 30.69 in 110 one-day games under Ganguly, Yuvraj really came of age in the Dravid-Chappell era, when he averaged 44.11 from 68 games. He was as prolific in the early days of Dhoni's tenure, but injuries and poor fitness have seen him marginalised even in an arena where he was once seen as central to Indian fortunes. For a man who strikes the ball so cleanly and so far, the Irani Trophy offers a chance to again catch the eye of the selectors.
With the World Cup less than five months away and a tour of South Africa to come before that, Yuvraj needs to get his groove back in a hurry. Dileep Premachandran is an associate editor at Cricinfo sports@thenational.ae
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Read more about the coronavirus
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
