5 reasons why Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes became more famous than Herschelle Gibbs' 6 sixes

6 sixes in an over. Wow! That's a dream for any batsman and a nightmare for any bowler in any format and on any place in the world. It has been quite a rare occurrence but when it has happened, it has left the spectators in awe. Imagine the goosebumps that the Indian fans sitting in the seats of the Kingsmead stadium in Durban would have experienced when Yuvraj Singh hit 36 runs against Stuart Broad in the World T20 back in 2007.

Or just imagine the mountain of pressure that Stuart Broad would have while bowling the 6th ball of the over. However, this was not the first time that this event took place in a World Cup match. South African opener Herschelle Gibbs had smashed 6 sixes in the 50-over World Cup in the very same year. Yet, whenever you ask a cricket fan the name of the batsman who hit 6 sixes in an over, the answer will undoubtedly be Yuvraj Singh.

There are obvious reasons why fans remember Yuvraj's 6 sixes better than Gibbs' and here are the best 5 of those reasons:

#1 England is a better and bigger cricket team than the Netherlands

Okay, do not refer to this match...

England are hailed as the inventors of the sport cricket while Netherlands are still struggling to get a permanent status as a cricket team. Playing a World Cup match against England will give more pressure to a team than playing against the Dutch.

I am not writing off the Netherlands as a poor team but when we compare their cricket teams, it will always be England which will be the better one.

So, Yuvraj smashed 6 sixes against the originators of the game while Gibbs did it against a non-Test playing nation.

#2 Yuvraj battered Stuart Broad's deliveries while Gibbs achieved this feat against an unknown Daan van Bunge

Daan van Bunge

Daan van Bunge was an all-rounder who rose to fame in the 2007 World Cup after becoming the first bowler to be smashed for 6 sixes in an over in a World Cup match. The only wrong thing that Bunge did here was he did not have a solid background or a fearsome bowling record which would scare the opposition batsman.

On the other hand, Stuart Broad entered the ICC WT20 as a promising rookie pacer and being pushed by many to be England's next premier fast bowler. Also, to hit a spinner out of the park is comparatively easier than sending a 140+ delivery for a maximum. Had Herschelle Gibbs hit 6 sixes against an established bowler, perhaps he would have stood a chance to keep his record prominent.

#3 A must-win game for India while South Africa vs Netherlands was just another group stage match

Probably this would not have been possible had Yuvraj not played that innings in Durban

India had qualified for the 2nd round of the ICC WT20, where they lost their first match against the Kiwis. Losing another match in this round would have diminished India's chances of progressing. And Yuvraj Singh probably saved India from an early elimination from the tournament by playing that innings.

Meanwhile, Gibbs played in a dead rubber against the Netherlands who had minimal chances of making it to the next stage in the World Cup. Moreover, South Africa won that match by 221 runs which means Gibbs' 6 sixes did not really have a match-winning impact while India were able to defeat England by just 18 runs which indicate that if Yuvraj had not hit those 6 sixes, the result could have been in favour of England.

#4 The fight between Yuvraj Singh and Andrew Flintoff, which saw Stuart Broad emerge as the loser

And as they

say

the rest is history

Well, I must say this was certainly the game changer. No one knows what would have happened had Andrew Flintoff not angered the Punjabi all-rounder. Yuvraj Singh was certainly one of the hottest heads in the dressing room. The best way a team could have sledged him is to have left him alone and let him play his natural game.

However, poor Englishman Andrew Flintoff probably did not know this and he tried to sledge Yuvraj. Both the players engaged in a heated conversation after which Stuart Broad came from the other end to bowl the 18th over of India's innings. Broad tried bowling over the wicket, round the wicket, outside the off stump, and a short delivery, but nothing worked as all of his deliveries were deposited outside the boundary line by Yuvraj.

#5 Ravi Shastri's Commentary

Ravi Shastri is undoubtedly the one of the best when it comes to holding a mic and performing the role of a commentator

Another major difference between the two incidents is the commentary panel calling the respective matches. Now, when Herschelle Gibbs was hitting Daan van Bunge for 6 sixes, no one remembers who was on the air, neither does anyone remember on which side of the ground did Gibbs hit those sixes.

But when you recollect Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes, I am sure you won't forget Ravi Shastri's commentary. He just made the whole thing seem bigger than it was - something which the commentators are supposed to do. Shastri described each and every maximum to perfection and even when the broadcaster aired replays of the 6 sixes, Shastri decorated it with the finest words.