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This prince has seen it all. Once the darling of the crowd, and an intrinsic part of the Indian cricket limited overs squad, Yuvraj Singh suddenly found himself deserted when he was left out of the ODI team after 2013. He continued to perform sporadically in T20Is, but with each passing failure, his retention in the team became more and more difficult.
An untimely injury forced him out of the T20I side last year, and Yuvraj has been putting in the hard yards ever since to make a comeback. The efforts have paid rich dividends, as he was reinstated in both the ODI and T20I squads for the England series, the first full-time assignment for Virat Kohli as a limited overs captain.
Things have changed a lot ever since Yuvraj played his last ODI for India in 2013. Here are five things that have happened to ODI cricket since Yuvraj’s last appearance:
#5 England’s highest total in ODI history (2016)
Studded with bits and pieces cricketers for as long as one can remember, England rarely looked like the team that could become a force to reckon with in limited-overs cricket, struggling to come to terms with the ever-changing dynamics of the 50-overs and 20-over formats.
Things have changed in the last few years, with several enterprising cricketers springing up to completely overhaul their limited overs setup. A strong lower order has given the openers the leeway to go berserk in the initial overs, as was evident during their demolition of the Pakistani outfit in their 444 run effort in August last year, the highest ODI score ever. Riding on a majestic 171 from Alex Hales, and a whirlwind fifty from Jos Buttler, the team showed exactly why they have been able to tumble records aplenty in the last 18 months.
#4 Australia 0-5 whitewash at the hands of South Africa
Such has been Australia’s domination in the last two decades that they have barely ever been at the receiving end of a one-sided demolition from the oppositions, in both ODIs and Tests. Yet, South Africa showed why the current Australian team is far inferior to their more illustrious predecessors by decimating them 5-0 in the ODI series held in October last year to hand them their first defeat of this margin in ODIs.
Australia lost 0-2 to England in 1980, and 0-3 against them in 1997, but never had the team been beaten five-nil, before it was thoroughly outplayed by Faf Du Plessis and his team of all-round stars, bringing an end to an era of domination from the yellow-clad side from Down Under.
#3 Australia’s fifth World Cup win (2015)
Michael Clarke managed to etch his name in the echelons of Australian cricketing folklore by securing yet another World Cup title for the country, in the footsteps of Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Although he was afflicted by a chronic back problem, he soldiered on, leading the side to victory over a rampaging New Zealand side to seal the honours for the third time since 2000.
Despite competition from defending champions India, New Zealand and South Africa, Australia put in a dominant overall performance, with captain Clarke leading from the front with a 72-ball 74 to seal the final with seven wickets to spare. He retired soon after, leaving a lasting legacy of a doughty character who evolved from a talented young batsman to one of Australia’s best ever.
#2 AB De Villiers’ record-breaking knock (2015)
The enigmatic run machine proved why he is one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket by demolishing the West Indian attack beyond repair in one of the most destructive innings played in the ODI format in 2015. The major highlight of his innings was the way he made clean strikes on the ball, effortlessly depositing them over the fence, be it a pacer or a spinner.
In no time, he had usurped records for the fastest 50,100 and 150, even as the West Indian attack, wilted, crumbled and finally crashed out of sight. In less than an hour, De Villiers blasted 16 sixes, singling out Jason Holder for special treatment by looting 45 runs off the nine balls he faced off the right-hander.
Yuvraj Singh joined AB De Villiers for a solitary season in the Royal Challengers Bangalore fold for the IPL’s 2014 edition, having bought for a whopping Rs. 14 crores.
#1 Dhoni’s resignation as ODI captain (2017)
When Yuvraj last played an ODI for India, Dhoni was firmly at the helm of affairs, having led the side to a Champions Trophy title. He was rested for the Zimbabwe tour, giving Virat Kohli a go at the captaincy, but came back to lead the side on their tour to South Africa later that year.
Yuvraj makes a comeback to the ODI fold, but in fairly different circumstances, with Virat Kohli now handling the reins and Dhoni playing just as a wicket-keeper batsman in the team. Yuvraj shared an amicable relationship with Dhoni, the captain, and has a different level of comfort with a considerably younger Kohli, but the Delhi lad's brand of captaincy will be surely different from Dhoni’s commands from behind the stumps.
