Yuvraj Singh, one of the best white-ball cricketers of his time, has announced his retirement from international cricket and the Indian Premier League. His announcement marked the end of a long and illustrious career, as well as the end of an era.
Yuvraj Singh rose to fame during the 2000 Under-19 World Cup, which was held in Sri Lanka. In the finals, the Indian team, headed by Mohammad Kaif, defeated Sri Lanka to win the Under-19 trophy for the first time. For his entire performance, Yuvraj was named “Player of the Tournament.”
Yuvraj’s outstanding performance at the Under-19 World Cup won him a spot in the Indian squad. Yuvraj made his ODI debut for India against Kenya in the ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi when he was just 18 years old. Yuvraj bowled four tight overs in his maiden encounter, giving up 16 runs despite not being given the opportunity to bat.
Yuvraj batted brilliantly in his second One-Day International, scoring 84 off 80 balls against an Australian attack that included Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, and Jason Gillespie. He followed it up with a 41 off 35 balls in his third ODI against South Africa, launching his illustrious career.
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Yuvraj Singh’s first best moment
Yuvraj Singh’s first major moment in white-ball cricket occurred in South Africa in 2007, in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. In that competition, he made his T20I debut for India and was largely ineffective in his first three games. Then there was the encounter against England, with Stuart Broad’s destruction.
Yuvraj entered the game as a batsman in the 17th over of the Indian innings. When Yuvrajtook guard, there were only 20 deliveries remaining in the innings. In the 18th over, he got off to a good start with a pair of fours off Andrew Flintoff’s bowling. That must have enraged Flintoff, resulting in a brawl with Yuvraj at the end of the game.
Following that, one witnessed a piece of history that would live on in the minds of every Indian fan for the rest of their lives. Yuvraj was revved up after his confrontation with Flintoff, and he dumped all six deliveries of Stuart Broad’s next over into the crowd. As he saw all six of his packages disappear into orbit, Broad turned like a deer in the headlights. Yuvraj Singh became the only player in the world to hit six sixes in a T20I over after scoring the quickest T20 fifty off 12 balls.
In the semi-finals against Australia, Yuvraj Singh struck 70 off 30 balls. He played a key role in India’s victory at the inaugural ICC World Cup.
The second-best moment in Yuvraj Singh’s career
Yuvraj Singh’s second finest moment occurred at home during the 2011 ICC World Cup. There was a problem with the fifth bowling option when India began its World Cup campaign in 2011. But, unlike the current Indian team, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Virender Sehwag all had part-time choices.
Yuvraj became India’s top bowler as the tournament went, bowling 75 overs in nine matches. With 15 wickets, he was India’s highest wicket-taker in that competition. Yuvraj Singh became the first player in the World Cup to score 50 runs and take five wickets in the same game against Ireland in Bengaluru.
Yuvraj batted for 362 runs in 8 innings, averaging 90 runs per innings. Despite a century against the West Indies, his greatest innings in the World Cup game against Australia in the quarterfinals at Ahmedabad.
When Indian captain MS Dhoni was dismissed, India needed 74 from 75 balls with five wickets in hand. Fortunately for India, they had a good batting at No. 7 in Suresh Raina. On the opposite end, Yuvraj Singh was on 25. Both teams were on the verge of losing their lives. At that point, one more wicket may have ended Team India’s World Cup campaign.
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White-ball cricket has been a huge success.
Yuvraj did not do enough justice to his talent in Test matches, despite his remarkable success in white-ball cricket, although he had his moments. Despite scoring three hundred in Tests, his greatest innings came against England in Chennai in 2008, when he made 85 not out in the second innings.
Chasing a 387-run fourth-innings goal on a deteriorating surface, Yuvraj and Sachin Tendulkar contributed 163 runs for the fifth wicket to complete the greatest successful fourth-innings run-chase on Indian soil. Yuvraj was never given an extended run in Test matches due to the presence of the fab four in the Indian middle order.
Yuvraj had always been a team player who never aspired to personal glory or leadership during his sporting career. He was always comfortable playing under any captain, however, he admitted that Dhoni was his favorite at one point. He was a true team player “inputs from www.indianmirror.com”.
