Happy Birthday Yuvraj Singh - India's greatest match-winner

In 2000, Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly announced the name of the player who was ready for world cricket after his exploits in Under-19 cricket. Yuvraj Singh's selection in the ICC Champions Trophy side in Nairobi was like a breath of fresh air and he responded in style. Yuvraj Singh smashed 84 and 41 against Australia and South Africa, two of the strongrest sides in world cricket at that time and with the best bowling line-ups. His exhibition of batting in the ICC Champions Trophy showed that he was the man for the big occasion. He would seal his spot in the ODI team and would go on to become one of their mainstays in the batting line-up for close to a decade. (Image credit: Twitter)

In the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, Yuvraj Singh once again showed his brilliance with both bat and ball, especially in his exhibition of catching in the semi-final against South Africa. But, in 2002, during the Natwest Trophy final against England, Yuvraj Singh blasted 69 and shared a 121-run stand with Mohammad Kaif as India achieved the highest successful chase in ODIs at that time with 326. Yuvraj's mettle and the way how he and Kaif turned the tables showed that two young men of Indian cricket now gave a nation of a billion to believe that it was possible to win big tournaments and finals. (Image credit: Twitter)

The period from 2005 to 2008 was simply remarkable for Yuvraj Singh as he notched up records with the bat and he also impressed with his all-round skills. The year 2007 was simply sublime as he smashed 1287 runs in ODIs but it was in the ICC World T20 2007 in South Africa where he showed his true class. In the encounter against England in Durban, Yuvraj SIngh created history as he became the fourth player in the history of cricket to hit six sixes in one over. The unlucky bowler was Stuart Broad and England once again paid a heavy price. Yuvraj Singh notched up his fifty off 12 balls and it remains the fastest fifty in the history of T20I cricket. In the semi-final against Australia, Yuvraj Singh dazzled with a knock of 70 and 30 in yet another display of power-hitting that blew the Australian team away. Once again, on the big stage, Yuvraj Singh ensured that India would win the tournament as Indian cricket changed completely following their title in the inaugural World T20 in 2007. (Image credit: Twitter)

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was one tournament in which Yuvraj Singh could do no wrong. He starred with the bat, bowled crucial spells with the ball and India sensed something special. Amidst all this, it came as a shock that Yuvraj Singh was battling cancer but he continued to play and ensure India had secured glory. In the quarterfinal against Australia, he once again showed his class and in a tense environment, he guided India to a thrilling win and it was their first over Australia after 28 years. When MS Dhoni hit the six in the final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede, Yuvraj Singh was at the other end and the victory, as well as the tears that flowed from Yuvraj Singh on that day, showed how much this title meant for the Indian cricket team. (Image credit: Twitter)

In his entire career, Yuvraj Singh has scaled envious heights and Indian cricket team benefited greatly from this. Having been part of all the wins for India in big tournaments, Yuvraj Singh has certified himself as the ultimate match-winner in India and it was with plenty of sadness that he announced his retirement from all formats in 2019. Even in the IPL, Yuvraj Singh has been part of two title-winning teams in Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and Mumbai Indians in 2019. Thus, Yuvraj Singh has won it all. Happy Birthday, Yuvi. (Image credit: Twitter)