Yuvraj Singh, one of India’s most loved crickter turns 36 today. While he mayt not be a part of Team India right now, Yvi has already cemented his place in the hearts of the Indian fans. Yuvraj Singh has been one of the finest match-winners that Indian cricket has ever produced.
Born in Chandigarh on December 12, 1981- Yuvraj is one of the most stylish and cleanest strikers of the ball- a treat to watch when in full flow. Add to this his ability to take crucial wickets with his leg spin stunning fielding abilities - the man could turn any match around single-handedly.
Yuvi played a significant role in India’s World T20 2007 and World Cup 2011 triumphs. The all-rounder has also staged a heroic battle against cancer after the 2011 World Cup and survived. In a career spanning 17 years, Yuvraj has scored 11,778 international runs along with 17 hundreds.
Here are some of the Yuvraj Singh’s best performances:
84 on debut
It was the year 2000. India were struggling at 130-4 against Australia in the ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi, when an 18-year-old Yuvraj Singh came to bat for the first time in ODI cricket. The left hander scored 84 off just 80 balls an attack that included the likes of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. He also displayed his supernatural powers on the field taking a spectacular catch.
India beat the world champions by 20 runs and a star was born.
.
The miracle at Lord’s
It is considered India’s best ODI games ever. India were 156-5 chasing an improbable target of 326 (anything 300+ was improbable in those days) against England in the NatWest ODI final 2002 at Lord’s. Most of the fans (including myself) had given up.
But, the young pair of Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh had diffirent ideas. Yuvraj fough fire with fire and added a brilliant 69 off 63 balls. He fell before the target but Kaif would take India home in what is termed as India’s greatest ODI victory ever.
.
His first century, his best century
While Yuvraj soon established himself as a match winner who could play a important innings. But it took him a long time to get his first hundred.
India were batting first in the VB Tri-series in Sydney. Yuvraj came in to bat at no. 5. By the time he was finished, he had smashed 139 runs off 122 balls. It was the highest score by an Indian in Australia against Australia in ODIs.
.
Six Six Six Six Six Six
There is no doubt that this is the biggest Yuvraj Singh moment ever.
India were facing England in Durban in an important league encounter at the inaugural World T20 in 2007. Batting first, India were well placed at 159-3 after. Yuvraj Singh has just arrived at the crease and was engaged in a heated confrontation with Andrew Flintoff. Stuart Broad came in to bowl the next over.
Yuvraj spanked all the six balls of the over to literally every corner of the park- the first instance of six sixes being hit in a single over in a T20I match. Yuvraj reached his 50 off a mere 12 balls – the fastest fifty in T20Is – and finished with 58 off 16 balls with seven sixes and three fours.
.
World Cup Hero
Yuvraj Singh was ‘Player of the Series’ when India won the 50-over World Cup in 2011. Yuvraj scoring 362 runs and took 15 wickets in the tournament. One of memories, forever etched out in our brains is a Yuvraj Singh playing a crucial innings of 57 against Australia despite feeling sick. We would learn later that Yuvraj was playing with Cancer. But being fighter he is, Yuvi survived and made a comeback to the Indian side.
