5 best moments from Yuvraj Singh's career
In an age when batting has become a slideshow of audacious strokes and jarring bat swipes, few cricketers can marry power and poise the way Yuvraj Singh does. He has an effortless, rather laidbac, style of employing his trade, but the intensity in his eyes, and his never-say-die attitude, sets him apart from the rest.
The World T20 in 2007 was a coming of age moment for Indian cricket: It helped the nation shed the notion that it required bigwigs to win silverware. With names such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid opting out of the new-look tournament, the youngsters had to step in and be counted. Yuvraj Singh suddenly found himself at the crossroads: He had lived under the shadows of the stars till then. Now, he was one of the seniors with seven years of international experience, despite being only 25.
After the conclusion of the tournament, he had cemented his spot in the upper echelons of Indian cricket. And, with Man of the Series performances in the 2011 World Cup, fighting his inner demons and a tumour that was killing him from within, Yuvraj stamped his name as one of India’s biggest match winners ever, possessing an ability to rise to the occasion that was almost nonpareil.
On the occasion of his 35th birthday, we take a look (in no particular order) at the best moments from his international career:
#5 69 vs England, NatWest 2002
If there is one victory that spurred the Indian team to rise above themselves and aim for higher peaks, it has to be the NatWest Trophy victory of 2002. Chasing 326 was not an easy task in the early 2000s, with ODIs still untouched by T20’s brash flavour. Two young turks, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, painted their youthful instincts on their teammates, catapulting the team out of from a hopeless situation to clinch the trophy and start a revolution.
The major highlight of Yuvraj’s game, which was evident even early in his career, was his ability to pierce gaps and find ropes despite the mounting pressure and tight run-rates. He did the same against England, acting like an injection that revived the chase and brought it back on track. In the company of Kaif, he gave the necessary thrust to the innings, falling for 69, but not before he had handed the game to Kaif & Co to complete.