Yuvraj Singh - Australia's tormentor-in-chief
After the nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat victory over Bangladesh, all the scenarios, permutations and combinations regarding India’s qualification to the semi-finals have been laid to rest. There is just one straightforward path which leads India to the next round, and that is beating Australia in Mohali.
If we look back in history, this is not the first time that Australia are standing in between India and a place in the next round of an ICC tournament. On numerous occasions, when the Kangaroos were India's opposition and the Men in Blue needed someone to step up and deliver at crucial times, Yuvraj Singh was the answer.
From the very beginning, the man from Chandigarh has loved facing the team from Down Under. Perhaps it’s the sledging which stirs him up or maybe the fact that the Australians had dominated the sport for so long that it pushes him to produce his utmost best against them. Though Yuvraj has not found his form in the World T20 2016 yet, there is no denying the fact that the 34-year-old can come out all guns blazing against the Aussies like he has done on some crucial occasions in the past.
ICC Knockout trophy 2000
Yuvraj’s ‘love-story’ with Australia started way back on 7 October 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya in the ICC Knockout Trophy quarter-finals. This was Yuvraj’s second match in Indian colours and his first against the mighty Australians. Steve Waugh won the toss and invited India to bat first, a decision which at first seemed perfect when the legendary Indian trio of Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid were back in the pavilion with only 90 runs on the board.
This was the first time that the southpaw was taking guard in international cricket as he did not get a chance to bat in India’s first match of the tournament against Kenya. Yuvraj, unperturbed by the might of then-ODI World Champions, smashed his way to 80-balls-84 with the help of 12 boundaries and took India to a reasonable total of 265. His innings made the difference and India went on to win the match by 20 runs.
Not to forget, Yuvraj, who earned a name for himself due to his brilliant fielding, registered his first run-out when he caught Michael Bevan short of the crease while he was trying to steer Australia towards the total.
ICC World T20 2007
Fast forward to 22 September 2007, India were up against Australia in the semi-final of the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20. Winning the toss, Dhoni opted to bat first at the Kingsmead Oval in Durban. When Yuvraj walked out to bat in the ninth over, India had just 41 runs on the board and they were in a dire need of a quickfire innings from the flamboyant Punjabi.
Yuvraj delivered exactly what was ordered, clobbering the Australian bowlers to all parts of the park en route to 30-balls-70 which included 5 fours and as many sixes. The left-hander wasted absolutely no time to get into his own as he dismissed Stuart Clark to a huge six over deep square leg on the second ball of his innings. He pounced on every chance to send the ball into the stands and led India to a commanding total of 188 runs.
Ultimately, India went on to win the match and Yuvraj was named man of the match for his fearless innings.