5 best moments from Yuvraj Singh's career

In an age when batting has become a slideshow of audacious strokes and jarring bat swipes, few cricketers can marry power and poise the way Yuvraj Singh does. He has an effortless, rather laidbac, style of employing his trade, but the intensity in his eyes, and his never-say-die attitude, sets him apart from the rest.

The World T20 in 2007 was a coming of age moment for Indian cricket: It helped the nation shed the notion that it required bigwigs to win silverware. With names such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid opting out of the new-look tournament, the youngsters had to step in and be counted. Yuvraj Singh suddenly found himself at the crossroads: He had lived under the shadows of the stars till then. Now, he was one of the seniors with seven years of international experience, despite being only 25.

After the conclusion of the tournament, he had cemented his spot in the upper echelons of Indian cricket. And, with Man of the Series performances in the 2011 World Cup, fighting his inner demons and a tumour that was killing him from within, Yuvraj stamped his name as one of India’s biggest match winners ever, possessing an ability to rise to the occasion that was almost nonpareil.

On the occasion of his 35^th birthday, we take a look (in no particular order) at the best moments from his international career:

#5 69 vs England, NatWest 2002

If there is one victory that spurred the Indian team to rise above themselves and aim for higher peaks, it has to be the NatWest Trophy victory of 2002. Chasing 326 was not an easy task in the early 2000s, with ODIs still untouched by T20’s brash flavour. Two young turks, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, painted their youthful instincts on their teammates, catapulting the team out of from a hopeless situation to clinch the trophy and start a revolution.

The major highlight of Yuvraj’s game, which was evident even early in his career, was his ability to pierce gaps and find ropes despite the mounting pressure and tight run-rates. He did the same against England, acting like an injection that revived the chase and brought it back on track. In the company of Kaif, he gave the necessary thrust to the innings, falling for 69, but not before he had handed the game to Kaif & Co to complete.

#4 70 off 30 vs Australia, World T20 2007

After a hardly believable innings against England, Yuvraj Singh did an encore, sweeping aside Australia with an innings of such authority, that world beaters Australia were made to look like school kids hurling rubber balls at a local park.

Brett Lee was flicked off his pads for maximums, Stuart Clark was beaten into obscurity and Andrew Symonds was toyed with. The cameraman’s favourite pastime became showing the distraught Aussie players, following it up with a picture of the Indian dressing room, jumping like joyous kids amidst the mayhem.

In the end, it was Michael Clarke who could finally end the madness, tricking Yuvi into a false shot and ending the innings on 70. Off just 30 deliveries.

#3 57* against Australia, Quarter final, World Cup 2011

Looking at their track record, Australia have always proved to be a thorn for the Indian team in big tournaments. Firing a relentless, ruthless assault, the Aussies hardly give the opposition an inch. In their quarterfinals against India at Ahmedabad, the sluggish pitch, and some tight bowling, had accounted for three Indian batsmen at 143 in their pursuit of 261.

Yuvraj Singh walked in with the responsibility of anchoring the chase and keeping a calm head in the company of a brittle middle order, infamous throughout the tournament for crumbling like a biscuit dipped in tea. He had a young Suresh Raina for company, ready to match his senior southpaw stroke by stroke. With pressure and run-rates mounting, Yuvraj decided to target Brett Lee and Shaun Tait. A flurry of boundaries and some awry bowling later, the chase was brought on track, and ended with a booming drive and a mid-pitch roar by the Chandigarh lad.

#2 84* vs Australia, 2000 Knock-Out Trophy

Three new faces featured in India’s pre-quarterfinals fixture of the ICC Knock-out Trophy against Kenya at Nairobi in 2000. The lanky Zaheer Khan, sending down searing yorkers, made an instant impression. While Vijay Dahiya effected two dismissals, Yuvraj Singh didn’t get a chance to bat in his first match.

When he did get his chance, he took to the international stage like fish to water. The flick, cut and drive, although raw, were executed as if Yuvraj had grown up facing the Australian bowlers in his backyard. Unflustered by the situation of the match and big names melting around him, the 18-year old showed remarkable maturity to compile an unbeaten 84 off just 80 balls, with 12 boundaries to his name. He also took a stupendous catch of Ian Harvey and beat Michael Bevan with a Hawkeye-like throw to kickstart his legacy as one of India’s best fielders.

#1 6 sixes vs England, World T20, 2007

Dmitri Mascarenhas and Andrew Flintoff have perhaps learned their lesson. So has Stuart Broad. In a matter of six balls, Yuvraj Singh managed to create a profound memory in the minds of Indian fans, and the perfect poster moment for T20 cricket. It was also ‘the perfect reply’.

Humiliated after having been carted for five sixes during an ODI against England early that year, Yuvraj Singh found his payback time when an unnecessarily verbal Andrew Flintoff riled up Yuvi with some trash talk. The result: 36 runs in six balls.

Long on. Fine leg. Long off. Deep point. Square leg. Long on. A dishevelled Stuart Broad couldn’t believe what had just been done to him. In a matter of one over, Yuvraj Singh showed the world what he is capable of, and shut Andrew Flintoff up for the rest of the evening. As a footnote, perhaps, he also broke the record for the fastest fifty ever.