Yuvraj Singh - India's man for the moment in 2011

Yuvraj Singh was invariably a limelight moth when the big occasion arrived. He was the player of the series when India won their first ever under-19 World Cup in 2000, in Sri Lanka. Nine months later, playing for India in the Champions Trophy in Kenya, the left-hander demolished a star-studded Australian side to announce his arrival on the world stage. His feats in the 2007 World T20 are still fondly remembered and celebrated. However, the 2011 World Cup at home turned out to be Yuvraj Singh's apogee.

'Yuvi' was never the kind of player to hide his light under a bushel. With bat, ball or on the field - the Punjab-born allrounder was always elegance personified. However, just style or talent is a nebulous concept in sport. It is when concomitant with performance that the trait is brought to the fore... like, in Yuvraj's case, in 2000, 2007 and more importantly, 2011.

Yuvraj had a rather lukewarm start to his 2011 WC campaign. He wasn't needed in the opening game against Bangladesh as Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli ran amok. In the next three games, however, he showed clearly why he was going to be India's man for the moment. If his quickfire fifty against England in Bangalore was a portent, his all-round efforts against Ireland (50* & 5/31) and Netherlands (51* & 2/43) were the vindication.

If it was at all possible for Yuvraj to step on to the next level, he did so soon after. A solid hundred and a two-wicket haul against West Indies helped India consolidate second spot in the table and a slot in the next stage. With India needing the players to be at their best during the knock-out stages, 'Yuvraj the finisher' made his mark.

Twice in the quarter-final against Australia, Yuvraj played saviour. His figures of two for 44 were the best amongst all the bowlers in the game, but it was his 65-ball 57 that helped India end Australia's 12-year World Cup dominance. There was a blip against arch-rivals Pakistan in the semis, as he suffered a first-ball duck. He redeemed himself with the ball, taking the important wickets of Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan to push India towards a historic final at Wankhede in Mumbai.

In perhaps the biggest game of his career, Yuvraj did not have the same impact that he had had on the rest of the tournament. At least, thanks to MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir, he didn't need to have. However, when he was called upon, the left-hander did his job and, fittingly, was at the other end when Dhoni lofted Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to end India's 28-year wait. Yuvraj's subsequent celebration and tears of joy showed how much the victory meant to him.

Yuvraj finished the tournament as the Man of the Series, and that didn't come as a surprise to any. He finished 8th (362) in the list of run-scorers, but it was the manner and time when he got them that mattered more. His average stood at a dizzying 90.50 - only next to Kumar Sangakkara. His contribution with the ball too was worth its weight in gold. He was 6th on the list of highest wicket-takers with 15 scalps to his name. He also became the first ever player to take 5 wickets and score 50 runs in a World Cup match - a feat he achieved against Ireland.

Being a match-winner came easily to Yuvraj Singh. On his day, he made everything look right and well. But, here he was in a team that perhaps had the most number of match-winners ever put together, and he lorded over them all. All this pales in significance, however, when you realize that Yuvi had to play through the tournament in pain. Yuvraj had breathing difficulties, nausea and bouts of vomiting blood during India's triumphant run. Soon after, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor stage-1 in his left lung and underwent chemotherapy treatment. And the champion that he is, Yuvraj fought off cancer and was back on the field playing international cricket after a little more than a year.

To add to what The Spectator had once written on how tough it was to get the better of Don Bradman... Just as, if you will forgive the comparison, defeating Hitler demanded something out-of-the-ordinary, so did defeating Bradman... so did defeating Yuvraj Singh.