ICC Champions Trophy 2017, India vs Pakistan: Yuvraj Singh wins hearts with heartwarming gestures

Wahab Riaz after injuring his ankle

The Indian Cricket Team recorded a comprehensive win against arch rivals and fellow neighbours Pakistan in their opening encounter, taking the match by a whopping 124-run margin. In what was a rain-curtailed game, India led from the start and thanks to some poor bowling in the death overs by Pakistan, they were able to post a strong total on the board.

The batting lineup of the Indians did its job well as Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya all chipped in with valuable contributions. However, it was Yuvraj Singh who won the Man of the Match trophy for his game-changing innings of 53 runs in just 32 balls.

He showed his ability to destroy opposition bowling lineups with the bat but he also made two heartwarming gestures that show that he is also a great person at heart, which is why he is well-loved by fans all across the world.

In the 46^th over, he performed an extraordinary gesture after Wahab Riaz got injured after delivering the penultimate ball of the over. The Pakistani hurt his right ankle and as soon as he delivered the ball, he took off his shoe and was grimacing in pain.

At that very moment, Yuvraj Singh showed his great sportsman spirit as he approached the left-armer and made sure he was okay. Riaz was, unfortunately, unable to finish the over and walked off back into the dressing room.

After the match, he followed it up with an incredible gesture. After receiving his award in the post-match presentation, he dedicated his performance to the victims of the horrific terrorist attack in London the previous day that saw seven people lose their lives and with several others injured. 

Man of the match @YUVSTRONG12 has dedicated his performance to victims of last night's atrocity in London. pic.twitter.com/ev5YFksuZ4

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 4, 2017

India amassed a strong total of 319/3 in 48 overs, which meant that Pakistan required a score of 289 in 41 overs to win the match. However, they fell way short in their chase thanks to some poor batting by their lineup and a strong showing by the Indian team with the ball and in the field.

The top scorer was Azhar Ali with 50 runs to his name as his crumbled to a paltry total of 164 all out in 33.4 overs. Umesh Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking three wickets for 30 runs, with Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja ending up with identical figures of 2/43.