24 things that have happened since Yuvraj Singh made his ODI debut
The Prince of Indian cricket, Yuvraj Singh, played his 300th ODI today in the semifinals of Champions Trophy where India faced Bangladesh. He made his ODI debut against Kenya in 2000 and has gone on to achieve numerous accolades in world cricket.
One of the most successful middle order batsmen India ever saw, Yuvraj had his fair share of slumps in his cricketing career. However, he fought his way back to the Indian squad every time and justified his selection in the team. He was the hero of India's victorious journey in 2007 T-20 World Cup. He has also been the favourite pick for the franchises in all the editions of Indian Premier League.
His batting and fielding skills played a crucial role in India’s resurgence in the early 2000s. Although he is fierce in limited over format, his performances in the Tests have always been subjected to critical inspection but not enough to stop his aggressive batting. In 2012, Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer but he successfully defeated it. He made a comeback in the Indian team upon his recovery and justified his spot in the squad.
It has been a long time since he made his debut. Let's have a look at some of the things that changed in the past seventeen years.
#1 Yuvraj Singh was the architect of India’s victorious campaign in 2007 T-20 World Cup when he hit six sixes in a single over by Stuart Broad and carved an indelible imprint.
#2 India lifted three ICC trophies; the World Cup (2011), T20 World Cup (2007) and Champions Trophy (2013).
#3 India scored their lowest ODI total of 54 against Sri Lanka and compensated for it by putting up their second highest total of 414 against the same team after nine years. Their highest total is 418 runs against West Indies.
#4 MS Dhoni effected a stumping in 0.09 seconds and created a world record.
#5 Mumbai Indians lifted the Champions title in Indian Premier League for the third time.
#6 India and Pakistan faced each other eleven times with a win ration of 10-1 in favour of India.
#7 Shahid Afridi announced his retirement four times prior to finally hanging up his boots.
#8 The Undertaker retired after being defeated by Roman Reigns in Wrestlemania 33. The legend encountered his first defeat against Brock Lesnar after 21 consecutive wins.
#9 John Cena made his debut a week after Yuvi and won sixteen world titles since then.
#10 Lionel Messi received five Ballon d’Or awards which is the highest ever for any footballer.
#11 Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. However, they finally managed to lift their fifth FA Cup after a nine-year-long drought.
#12 Roger Federer won 18 grand slams and Rafael Nadal won 15 grand slams which include 10 French Open titles; both are world records.
In other news…
#13 Marvel Cinematic Universe became the most successful movie franchise ever. The only competition DC could offer was the Dark Knight trilogy and Wonder Woman.
#14 Samsung launched over Eight “Galaxies” including a model which was a quite literal representation of “taking the world by fire”.
#15 Orkut reached the peak of its popularity but died soon after that.
#16 Wikipedia, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook were launched and Internet was never the same.
#17 Donald Trump, revived from Bankruptcy, contested in elections and swore in as the 45th president of United States of America.
#18 Nokia regretted rejecting Android and died a painful death in the smartphone market. However, they made a fantastic comeback in the market after a year.
Change may be the only constant but there are few stories which never welcomed any alterations for a long time. The credits for consistency in this timeline are earned by the following.
#19 Shikhar Dhawan continues to dominate ICC tournaments and keep his critics puzzled.
#20 Adobe Photoshop credit Bangladesh market for the huge hike in the use of the software.
#21 South Africa are yet to win an ICC trophy (in the stated period). Their consistent crumbling in the pressure games earned them the title of “chokers.”
#22 Similar to the previous one, Royal Challenges Bangalore and Indian Premier League victory is yet another fairy-tale on hold. Needless to say, they are knows as chokers in India’s domestic tournament.
#23 Arsenal seems to share a similar record in Champions League. They might have a stellar record for qualifying for the tournament but never won one.
#24 Argentina lost three finals that forced Lionel Messi to retire from International Football. He soon returned to the game, though. (Did someone say Tax?)