Yuvraj Singh's six sixes will remain in my heart forever, lauds Virender Sehwag
What's the story?
Flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag has thanked his former teammate Yuvraj Singh for his record-breaking feat of six sixes in an over bowled by Stuart Broad during the 2007 World T20. Terming the fastest half-century in T20Is as 'unforgettable', the 38-year-old recounted the events surrounding Yuvraj's memorable knock and anointed the southpaw as the 'King of Kingsmead'.
Sehwag reminisced, "When Yuvi (Yuvraj) walked into bat, he picked England's bowling attack apart and sent them on a leather hunt. He scored 14 runs off the first six balls. That moment Andrew Flintoff thought India would have a low score on the board and England started to sledge our tiger Yuvi. They started exchanging words with Yuvraj. But it was Stuart Broad who paid the price at the end. Broad was hammered for six sixes by Yuvraj at every nook and corner of the Kingsmead ground."
"With this, Yuvraj became the King of Kingsmead. This was an unforgettable innings from Yuvi. I can't forget his knock and it will remain etched in my heart forever. Playing a historic knock, he notched up his half-century from just 12 balls. Thank you so much, Yuvraj, for the memories. All the very best (for your future)."
The Context
On 19 September 2007, Yuvraj imposed himself on the packed Kingsmead Stadium by launching a sizzling assault on a hapless Broad. Exactly 10 years to the date, Sehwag paid tribute to the legendary knock by posting a video message on his official Twitter handle.
The heart of the matter
On a balmy night in Durban, India were facing the prospect of a must-win encounter to stay alive in the inaugural edition of the World T20. On a batting-friendly surface, the 'Men in Blue' were at 171/3 when the eventful 19th over began. Interestingly, he had smashed successive boundaries off the bowling of Andrew Flintoff.
Flintoff tried to sledge Yuvraj by reminding him that India were meandering along at a slow pace on a pitch where the par score was well above 200. When the stylish left-hander took a few paces towards the all-rounder, the on-field umpires averted a standoff at the appropriate moment.
Channeling his anger in the proper direction, Yuvraj plundered six consecutive sixes off Broad and sent the audience into delirium. After he had injected some much-needed impetus into India's campaign, MS Dhoni's team went on to create history by winning the inaugural World T20.
Parallels from history
A couple of weeks before the euphoric India-England encounter in the World T20, Yuvraj himself was at the receiving end of five successive sixes by all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas in the last over of an ODI game at The Oval. Following his 16-ball 58 in Durban, the Indian star would go on to empathise with Broad's plight.
Author's take
Seeing as he himself was known to torment bowlers in his heyday, it is fitting that Sehwag paid tribute to Yuvraj's astonishing feat. Those six sixes were truly unforgettable for anyone who was privileged enough to witness the match.