Top 5 Knocks Played By Yuvraj Singh In ODI Cricket
Whenever an Indian cricket fan hears the name Yuvraj Singh, getting goosebumps and having a strong feeling of nostalgia is natural, and why not? This veteran cricketer has given Indian cricket an immense amount of memories to cherish for ages to come.
From his one-handed catch to dismiss Jonty Rhodes which eventually helped India win a crucial match, to the mighty six sixes in Stuart Broad's over to help India lift the inaugural World T20, along with helping India win the ODI World Cup after a long gap of 28 years. Yuvraj Singh has given it all to Indian cricket.
Even though Yuvraj has played numerous amazing knocks throughout his career, we have narrowed them down to five knocks which we feel are the best among those. Here are Yuvraj Singh's top 5 ODI knocks.
5) 93 vs. West Indies at Kingston, 2005
One of the best ODI Knocks played by Yuvraj Singh in his career was against West Indies, when he scored 93 runs which had come in a losing cause. Indian bowlers restricted the Windies to a minimal score of 198, and the onus was on the batsmen to grab a victory for the country.
However, India had quite a shaky start as both the openers went inside the hut within the power play with less than 40 runs on the board. Yuvraj Singh had taken guard, and despite the gruesome bowling attack of West Indies, and wickets tumbling at the other end, Yuvraj Singh held on to his wicket and helped the scoreboard ticking. India was cruising in on a victory, thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s fighting knock till the end, just before Dwayne Bravo got the better of him in the 50th over.
Although India lost the match by mere 1 run, Yuvraj Singh won over cricket fans all over the world. The knock is considered to be one of the best lone warrior knocks in the history of ODI cricket.
4) 121 vs. Australia at Hyderabad, 2007
Back in those days, facing the Mighty Aussies was the toughest job for any team. They had a dreadful bowling line up along with a fearsome batting attack. They were a complete team with all the bases covered.
Yuvraj Singh showed in this match that he is a force to be reckoned with, with his sublime knock. Australia were batting first, and they put on a mountain of a total in front of the hosts. India, in return, were off to an abysmal start as three batsmen were back in the dugout within the first five overs. Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson were bowling bullets and were all over India. The tension was real. And then came Yuvraj Singh, to get the team out of the slump. Sachin Tendulkar, along with him, calmed the storm for a while before the former missed a peach of a delivery and was back in the hut. After that, it all went downhill for India as no other batsman showed any sign of support for Yuvraj Singh.
He scored 121 runs in a losing cause and was the only centurion in the match.
3) 138 vs. England at Rajkot, 2008
On a rather flat wicket, against a formidable bowling line-up of England, India were batting first and were off to a great start, thanks to the opening duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.
They set the stage for India to reach a mammoth total, and Yuvraj Singh’s innings did exactly what was wanted for the team. It was a special knock from the man himself. Despite the fact that he was struggling with severe back pain throughout the innings, he went on to score the fastest century of his career. He was later awarded as player of the match for his excellent knock.
2) 103 vs. South Africa at Hyderabad, 2005
South Africa have always been a challenging opponent, and it was going to be a difficult task for the men in blue to face the Proteas. Rightly so, South Africa started off with carnage as they sent India’s top 3 batsmen back to the pavilion for 5 runs.
Half the team was back in the pavilion at 35. At one stage it looked like it will be difficult for India to go beyond 100. However, it was that man again, Yuvraj Singh, who helped the team reach a respectable total to fight for.
Yuvraj Singh batted with the tail-enders, built the Indian innings, played magnificent strokes, hit clean sixes, guided the tail and did his work before departing at 227. Though India lost the match by 5 wickets, Yuvraj Singh won the Man of the Match award for his outstanding knock.
1) 139 vs. Australia at Sydney, 2004
In the year 2004, when facing the mighty Aussies, that also in their own den, was one of the toughest things to do. India faced them without their Ace batsman, Sachin Tendulkar.
Australia had their fast bowling department up and ready to rip through the weakened Indian batting line up. They almost did their job as they restricted India to 80/3 before Yuvraj Singh and VVS Laxman stepped in to save the country.
It had to take something special for an individual to score a century against a team as formidable as Australia and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Yuvraj Singh was definitely magical that day.
He scored 139 runs against the Aussies in their backyard and helped India put on an excellent total. India were in a winning position before the heavy downpour caused the target to be reduced to 225. Australia won the match in the last over, but yet again, Yuvraj Singh was named the player of the match for his incredible knock.