The ongoing season has been nothing short of a fairytale for the Indian cricket team. Virat Kohli has stamped his authority all over the team, and there is an inherent self-belief and desire to push the limits permeating within the team.
What are fairy tales without drama, story and emotions? In the ongoing ODI series, we have been witness to these aplenty in just the 2 matches. During the first ODI, Kedar Jadhav scripted an amazing innings in front of his home crowd and parents. And in Cuttack, the entire Indian cricketing fraternity came to a standstill when two of its biggest match-winners in Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni combined to evoke a plethora of nostalgia.
The innings played by Yuvraj Singh was tailor-made for a Bollywood movie. Such was the audacity of the innings and the outpour of emotions that in many ways it was a homecoming of Yuvraj Singh.
He scored a century after almost 6 years and so much has happened in these 6 years, that it deserves to be made a note of.
#5 The IPL mess
When the Indian Premier League was conceived in 2008, Yuvraj was one of the marquee players for Kings XI Punjab. However, so much has changed with the tournament ever since.
First, it was rocked by the spot-fixing scandal, which led to the Supreme Court of India intervening. The SC appointed a Lodha Panel to suggest changes and revamp Indian cricket.
The clampdown began when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for 2 years. Two franchises, RIsing Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions replaced them for a period of 2 years.
Further, the Supreme Court axed BCCI President Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke for not complying with the orders.
Yuvraj has seen it all!
#4 The Fab Five of Indian cricket bid adieu
There was a time when Indian cricket was almost synonymous with the fab five. The coterie which included Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag enthralled cricketing audience all over the world.
However, when they decided to slowly pass the baton, it came as a shock to many Indian fans, and there were concerns about how the team would fare without these stalwarts.
The transition was a smooth one, and a new crop of players quickly established themselves as the new nucleus of the team. Young players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and captain Virat Kohli made themselves the new group of match-winners for the Indian team.
#3 MS Dhoni no longer the captain
Yuvraj and Dhoni have been a part of many historical performances for the Indian team. With Dhoni as the captain, Yuvraj played some delightful innings, and these included his heroics in the 2007 and the 2011 World Cup.
However, when they combined to script history in Cuttack, Dhoni was no longer the captain in any format for India.
The Jharkhand-boy gave up Test captaincy in 2014 and then stepped down as the ODI skipper just before this series.
#2 Rohit Sharma scored 2 Double Centuries
The Indian batting factory never ceases to produce outstanding talents, and one of the most prominent amongst those is Rohit Sharma.
The elegant right-hander evokes praise and angst in equal measure, owing to his talent and then due to his inconsistency. However, when he gets in his zone, there is no better sight in Test cricket.
Rohit was shunted up the order by MS Dhoni and this gave him a fresh lease of life and currently, he is one of the best openers in world cricket. On his day, he is an absolute match-winner, and the fact that he has two double centuries to his name in ODI is only a testament to his unique ability.
He scored his first double century against Australia in Bangalore and then smashed Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens for his second and record-breaking feat.
#1 Virat Kohli scored 22 ODI Centuries
The Virat Kohli-phenomenon has taken world cricket by storm, and the Indian captain is currently one of the best batsmen going around across all formats. There are comparisons with Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Steven Smith in Test cricket. However, he reigns supreme when it comes to ODI cricket, and has already scored 27 centuries.
Such is his domination that in the intervening period he plundered as many as 22 centuries in Limited Overs Cricket, and hence when he stood and applauded the heroic effort of Yuvraj Singh, the image was a poignant one.
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