6 times Yuvraj Singh saved India from a humiliating loss
Yuvraj Singh is, without a doubt, one of India's greatest limited overs batsmen of all time. The man behind India’s WT20 2007 and ICC World Cup 2011 victories turns 37 today.
Yuvraj in his prime used to be a destructive batsman, a handy bowler and an acrobatic fielder. In short, he was a complete cricketer and most importantly, a genuine match winner.
The impact he left on the game in all three departments is unmatched, which can clearly be seen in the performance of India's current middle order.
Yuvraj often stood tall when India needed him - either when the team needed someone to score quickly in the final overs, or when they needed someone to steady the ship after a massive top order failure.
Let’s take a look back at the times when Yuvraj saved Team India from a massive defeat after a major top order failure.
#6 India vs Australia, WT20 2007 semifinal
India were struggling at 41-2 after 8 overs, with the Australian bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee in the midst of annihilating the top order. The in-form Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag couldn't get going, and it was all down to Yuvraj Singh.
And as usual, Yuvraj didn't disappoint the team. He destroyed the Aussie bowling line-up all by himself, although he had good support from Robin Uthappa and MS Dhoni.
Yuvraj won a second back-to-back Man of the Match award to take India to the finals.
#5 India vs West Indies, Indian Oil Cup, Colombo, 2005
Facing West Indies in a must-win match to qualify for the tri-series final, India were 51-3 and Sourav Ganguly had retired hurt. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif then had a 165-run partnership and they carried the Indian team from 51-3 to 216-4, when Yuvraj fell after scoring 110.
Kaif and Dhoni later added another 46 runs in the last 4 overs to take the Indian total to 262. India won the match by 7 runs, and till this date this innings by Yuvraj is considered one of the finest of his career.